


Le Café Rouge

by 21lillian21



Series: Life in Rouge [1]
Category: Adventure Time
Genre: Angst, Canada, Eventual shameless smut, F/F, Kidnapping, M/M, Shameless Smut, Snow, Suspense, Yes I just tagged Canada, fluff!, possibly some happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-25
Updated: 2017-04-20
Packaged: 2017-12-16 03:06:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 84,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/857049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/21lillian21/pseuds/21lillian21
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the busy streets of Toronto Ontario there is a small place called, Le Cafe Rouge. Also known as The Red Cafe, many patrons come and go daily to get coffee or a scone to snack on. Marshall Lee and his younger sister Marceline work in the shop almost everyday waiting on tables and taking orders. One day a rich boy named Bubba Gumball, who happens to be vacationing in Toronto, stops by on Friday night, when Marshall decides to take part in the weekly open mic night...<br/>Marked Mature for later chapters.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Red Cafe

**Author's Note:**

> Well then here we go! First story on Archive of Our own! I am very excited to be writing Adventure Time fanfictions now! I hope you enjoy and thank you for reading!  
> -21Lillian21

### Chapter 1

Marshall wasn't particularly fond of his job at the cafe. He didn't hate it either, it just seemed very bland to him to be cooped up around coffee and scones all day, doing nothing but taking orders and waiting on tables. What he did enjoy, was the open mic night on Friday's, where he often took the stage with his red guitar and played for the night-time patrons of the shop. Le Café Rouge wasn't anything particularly special in that city block. It had blood red awnings that matched the interior theme of dark warm colors. There were five small steps leading slightly down into the cafe from the street. Inside the walls were painted in different shades of reds and whites and warm browns that matched the curtains that hung against walls in places. The wall to the left of the door was made completely of paneled glass and it looked out onto the busy streets of Toronto. The tables were all made of a dark cherry wood, as was the main counter that people placed their orders at. Over all, the cafe was like a warm place where someone might want to spend a few hours reading a book or just sitting with a cup of coffee to watch a rainstorm pass. 

Today was just another busy Friday morning with the morning rush of people headed to work. Marshall's least favorite part was the fact that he and his little sister Marceline had to be at the cafe at six in the freaking morning in order to open the shop. He was just glad that he wasn't one of the pastry chef's, because they had to get there at four in the morning. Seriously, who in their right mind wants to be anywhere but a nice warm bed at six in the morning. Despite the excruciatingly painful wake-up time, the cafe was a pleasant job. It also paid the bills for their apartment and his sisters schooling, which was a plus. Marshall was also never really the type for complaining, he always figured that if you ended up somewhere it was for a reason and there was no point in complaining. Slacking off on the other hand, he was really good at that.

"Marshall, get off your lazy ass and come help me set the tables! We have twenty minutes until we have to open the freaking Cafe!" Marceline practically hissed at her older brother as she threw his apron at him followed by a few napkins.

Marshall groaned and opened his eyes to look around the cafe from his relaxed position on one of the many black leather couches. It was too early for this kind of shit and he just wanted to go back to sleeping.

"Hmm, you seem to be doing an awesome job though Marce, why would I want to interrupt?" He chuckled and laid a napkin over his eyes so that he could hopefully get some more shut eye before it was time to actually work.

Marceline promptly stormed over to where he brother was and grabbed his ear before she tugged him to his feet by the poor abused hearing appendage.

"Ow ow ow ow! Okay ow I get it! Sheesh no need for the use of violence in the Cafe sis!" He said as he stumbled along behind her. His arms were promptly stuffed with napkins and he trudged along the floor to the tables that had not been set yet with a sour expression upon his face.

It was a chilly day in September, especially at six fifteen in the morning, and Marshall Lee pulled his hoodie closer around his thin frame. He folded each napkin as well as he could before laying it on the table and in no time all of the tables were prepped and ready for people to sit at. An apron smacked him in the face again and he grabbed it and held it up.

"You know, it's not very polite to throw things at your superiors." He said in a joking tone as he tied the apron around his waist and went over to the main counter to grab a note pad and several pens. He glanced over at Marceline, who was pulling her hair back into a pony tail in an attempt to keep it out of the way.

"It's only impolite if it's a stranger and not my dork older brother." She tossed back as she finished tying up her hair and made sure that most of it was pulled back. Her hair still dangled down past her butt and Marshall shook his head.

"I am not a dork, you're just jealous that I'm so attractive." He dramatically put a hand to his chest before he chuckled and checked the time on his phone. There were only seven minutes left until they were required to open so he walked over towards the door and flipped the 'CLOSED' sign to 'OPEN' for them. Now all they had to do was wait for people to come in before they could leave for the day. Marshall Lee lived for the quiet moments, since the cafe was usually buzzing in the mornings. The Cafe itself was fairly short-staffed to save money, so they ended up working full-day shifts with just the two of them many times. He moved right back to the main counter and leaned against it with a sigh.

"Are you going to play tonight?" Marceline posed the question out of thin air as she pinned back a bit more of her hair and looked at her brother curiously.

Marshall raised an eyebrow and thought about it before nodding to her. "Yeah, I don't see why not. Why don't you ever play with me anymore? That makes it more fun." He said as he stuck out his tongue at his kid sister. It had become a habit of his to stick his tongue out whenever he was teasing someone or making a really lame joke about something. it gave him away but his sister thought it was hilarious and even tried to grab his tongue sometimes.

"Because, I'm not as good as you at it and I'm just not as good in front of crowds I guess." She said with a nonchalant shrugs as she re-checked the cash register for about the third time. Marshall simply rolled his eyes at his sister. 

"It's because you don't practice anymore, you're just as good as I am though. Or maybe you were planning to talk to that girl you're always chatting up online." He watched with satisfaction as Marceline's cheeks heated up and grew slightly rose tinted from the mention of her online friend. Marshall knew that his sister had been talking to some girl online almost constantly for over a month. She would always have her phone out or be on her laptop talking to the same girl over Skype messaging. It was pretty cute how obviously Marcie was crushing on this girl.

"I-I was not! Just shut up you glob of laziness. Besides we have customers!" she said, thankfully taking the distraction to get drink orders from the man and woman who walked in. Marshall simply let that topic drop for the moment as he also began his duty of serving people their drinks and desserts throughout the day.

###### 

By the end of the day Marshall felt like his arms were going to fall off and his head was buzzing with orders for caramel cappuccinos, with a double shot of espresso and only a bit of cream that had to be low fat. He never understood the human obsession with getting the perfect drink down to the very last detail of how much fat was in the milk or cream that they added. Then again he didn't even really drink coffee so maybe he was just never meant to understand that part. He contemplated the many different kinds of drinks he knew how to make as they started to set up for the open mic night. They moved a few tables and chair around so that they more easily faced the small stage that was present in the corner of the cafe. The afternoon rush of people had ended and the Cafe was completely empty except for the two of them. Eventually he knew that the night-time coffee drinkers would come around to listen to him play and maybe even a few of them would get up and play with him or by themselves. The stage was easy enough to share in this situation.

Marshall Lee hoped that one day he could get paid to write his own songs and get them recorded as a musician. Playing his guitar was his favorite thing to do in his job at Le Café Rouge, so why not pursue a career in what he completely loved? It made sense to him in every way, some people didn't think it was a logical choice though. He wasn't really complaining since he did have a pretty nice gig here that got him some nice tips at the end of the night. 

As patrons filled the small cafe, Marshall sat down on the chair on stage and picked up his guitar, smoothly sliding it out of its case and into his familiar grip. He strummed at the tightly wound metal strings and checked to make sure that they were in tune before he cleared his throat and started to play a softer song that would fit the mood of the cafe itself. His fingers glided across the strings and the upper frets on the guitar easily and he closed his eyes and let the music flow. Eventually he let his voice join the flow of music in the form of lyrics that mostly just came to his head in the moment. It was a gift to be able to play and come up with music so effortlessly. There was of course the fact that he had practiced and learned about guitars for a large portion of his life, which made it easier to improvise such wonderful songs.

Those that were actively listening were completely spell-bound by the males voice and guitar playing. Marshall came to a close of the first song and opened his eyes to look out at the crowd. There was soft applause and he smirked slightly before his eyes rested on a male at the back of the cafe that seemed to be clapping just a bit slower than the rest of them. Marshall took into account the male's pink hair and vibrant colors of clothes and immediately he was curious as he paused his strumming to look over the male more closely. The pink-haired man made eye contact and smiled happily but still remained slightly shocked at the back of the room. Marshall was taken aback that he was being stared at so intensely but he wrote it off as the other guy simply experiencing his playing for the first time as he went back to playing. He swore that he felt eyes on himself several times, and it felt like pinky was staring directly at him. Of course it was normal to be stared at on stage, except that this stare felt different than the rest; but he managed to shake off the nerves he had started feeling as he pursed his lips together to hide his amused smirk.


	2. Just Another Vacation

### Chapter 2

Bonnie and Bubba Gumball were siblings, twins in fact, that had decided in the heat of the San Diego Summer that they wanted to take a vacation somewhere cooler. It was no trouble for them to book a flight to Toronto Canada and arrive in the cooler climate only a week later. Bubba found himself immediately enjoying the city despite his sisters slight complaints. They had checked into their hotel and set their bags onto their respective beds.

"So, where do you think we should go? We have an entire week up here after all!" Bonnie said as she unpacked her shoes and set them into the closet. They both had quite the affinity for the color pink and had starting dying their hair together years before. It was a fun way for them to bond and keep up their twin look by dying their hair the same shade of bright pink.

"I honestly have no idea. I don't even know what this town has to offer..." He said as he folded his shirts into a drawer. It had truly been whimsical of them to hop on a flight and head their butts up to Canada, but what was life without a bit of spontaneity? Too much spontaneity was out of the question though, the whole 'Go with the Flow' attitude was a big pain in the ass to him. Even if their trip was spontaneous he had still spent a week planning everything. Gumball stood up and looked around their room before he moved over towards the window to look out at the streets.

"Why don't we just wander around for a bit? We could write down some places that we wanted to see later, or activities we could go do." He shrugged and looked over at his sister who seemed very preoccupied with her phone.

"Bonnie...Bonnibel!" He watched as his sister jumped slightly and looked up at him with her wide eyes.

"Hm? Were you saying something?" She asked innocently as the phone was left on the bed and his sister went back to unpacking. Bubba heaved a sigh and looked at his sister with narrowed eyes and crossed arms. Overall he looked extremely unamused.

"Yes, I was trying to figure out what we were going to do but you were quite distracted. Who are you talking to all the time anyway?" He asked as he took his now empty suitcase and put it against the wall so that it was out of the way. he walked over towards his sister and shoved his hands into the pockets of his pink hoodie sweater. He liked pink okay? it wasn't a crime, pink was a very manly color. Beside who needed to be manly when you were extremely smart and wealthy. Wait that sounded really shallow...

"Just a friend of mine..." Bonnie said a bit awkwardly before she also put her suitcase against a wall. Luckily the response pulled Bubba out of his steadily crashing thought train and he shrugged off his sisters answer. It was her business who she talked to, as curious as he was, it was rude to pry into someones personal life, even if it was your twin sister.

"Fine, let's go get something to eat then. We can walk around until we find a place that will suit our tastes!"

"Okay, you lead the way then; Since I know you're picky about your food hehe." She said with a sly grin in response to her brother. She followed him out of their hotel room, both of them made sure to have a key card so that they could get back in by themselves if they needed to.

###### 

After more walking than either of them wanted to do in the first place, Bonnie was ready to head back to the hotel. They had arrived in the afternoon and the day was transitioning well into evening at this point. They had found a little Italian place that served some truly excellent chicken Marsala and tiramisu to both of them. It had been an interesting couple of hours of walking. Yet it wasn't until their feet were sore and they were tired of walking that they discovered the subway system. It was a miracle how much easier that made it to travel places.

They both parted ways at the transit station near their hotel since Bubba wasn't quite done exploring. He had a knack for curiosity that often led him into situations, but it was also his reason for wanting to become a scientist. His curiosity led him to great experiments that he both enjoyed and got good grades for, not that he was bragging or anything. He walked along the street with his hands in his pockets as he took everything in. New places were always exciting, and one of the best parts about it was just breathing in the new feel to the city. Their family didn't vacation together often, his parents were always working, but the few times that they had made up the majority of his favorite memories. 

He could remember the time they went to the UK and stayed in England for a few days before venturing around most of Europe on the trains. It was a fun time when he and his sister were much younger, and yet he could still remember it clearly. Vibrantly in fact. Sometimes he would lie awake and think about all the places they had been and re-live one of the memories while drifting off to sleep. As childish as it sounded it was fun and he really enjoyed it and just by inhaling the Canadian air he could tell that this was going to be one of those trips that he would remember for a long time. Hopefully forever.

Eventually the young man came upon a cafe, long after the street lamps had started to illuminate the streets. He looked at the sign outside, inviting patrons in for the weekly 'Open mic Adventure!'. It sounded chipper and pleasant enough so he carefully descended the five steps to the door before he slipped inside. The stage had already been set and he eyed the guitarist for a moment before he took notice of the 'Please seat yourself' sign. Not wanting to disturb any of the patrons he calmly sat down at a table near the back. As he got settled the music came to an end, the patrons of the small cafe clapped lightly for the boy on stage.

"Do you want something to drink?" Bubba looked up at the girl with long hair that stood to his left and held out a pen and a notepad. She obviously worked there and he nodded slowly even as he felt her look over his appearance and cock an eyebrow.

"Um yes, just some hot chocolate if it's not too much of a bother." He said politely as he sat up in his chair. He took note of how long this girls hair was. Marceline, he learned quickly was her name from the nicely printed name tag she wore, nodded and wrote it down before she smirked at him.

"It's my job to take your order, of course it's not a bother." she said with a quite amused huff. Bubba flushed slightly and nodded in agreement. 

"Ahh right, haha sorry." He apologized before he watched her turn around and head over towards the main counter. His attention was quickly captured by the guitarist on stage again as the male started to sing and hum along with the song he was playing. Bubba knew that an open mic usually meant that an amateur would take the stage to try and get noticed, but in no way would he call the music flooding through his ear canals amateur. It was beautiful, and it fit the mood of the cafe and even made Bubba want to light some candles in a strange nostalgic way. 

He was so engrossed in the playing that he didn't notice when his drink had been put in front of him. It wasn't until Marceline cleared her throat next to him and he looked up to see her smirking that he realized he had been openly staring at the man.

"Oh, excuse my rudeness. Thank you for the drink..." He managed to regain some of his composure as he shifted in his chair and cleared his throat awkwardly. He picked up the hot mug of liquid chocolate goodness before he took a careful sip. his eyes traveled back towards the man on the stage and the question rose up past his lips before he could stop it.

"Who is he? Does he play here often?" He asked with a hint of desperation to his voice. The man was an enigma to him in this moment and he wanted to learn more, about him, about his music, how often he played. A million and one questions were on the tip of his tongue and only by biting his lip did he manage to keep them all back. The girl simply continued to smirk at him before she crossed her arms and cocked a hip to the side and answered indifferently.

"Yeah, he works here and plays every Friday night. Why are you so curious pink boy?" She asked the question with her eyes trained on the male before they flicked down to meet his own curious orbs. He looked down at his mug quickly and thought about her question.

"His voice sounds really nice, I guess? Wait do you know his name? He works with you correct?" He looked back up at the male and strained his eyes to see if he could make out a name tag, but there was an obvious lack of any kind of tag, name or no name. He heard the scoff from beside him and frowned up at the female.

"Why don't you ask him yourself? Besides he's only supposed to dominate the mic for about half an hour anyway." She grinned at him and turned to wave slightly at the male before she tapped her wrist to signal time to the musician. Bubba pouted at her answer but he understood the important of asking the man that question personally. He went back to sipping his drink, but the next time he looks up at the singer his eyes and body were locked in place by the captivating warm reddish brown color of the other male's eyes. It was some time before he even realized that he had not only been caught staring at him but he had also continued to stare directly into the other's eyes. It was somewhat comforting to think that the singer was also staring back at him, but it was still nerve wracking and he quickly looked down at his mug of hot coco as soon as the boy broke eye contact.

It felt as if a weight had lifted off his chest and he could breathe more easily again. It was wrong for someone to have that much power over him with a simple look, and it really did unnerve him in a slight manner.

 

###### 

When the male ceased playing and left the stage, Bubba had hoped to catch his attention and get to talk to him a bit. However the other boy simply put his guitar back into it's case and head straight back into the kitchen through a side door and disappeared. He deflated slightly until the door swung open, only for it to be Marceline heading out with a couple of drinks to hand out to patrons of the cafe. He frowned and took to stirring his drink furiously as if he could stir his own thoughts away. It was silly, to be so caught up about someone just because he thought they had an excellent singing voice. He felt that if he never learned the male's name he would just die; but of course that sounded way too childish, and he was no longer a child.

He was so deep in his own thoughts as he stared at his liquid chocolate drink that he actually startled when someone tapped on his table. He looks up quickly only to feel his jaw go slack as he looked up at the male standing before him in a simple red flannel shirt with dark grey stripes. The man was flawless it seemed, especially as he smirked at him and the doubtlessly dumb expression he had on his face.

"Did you need anything?" The boy asked in a rich tone that seemed to mock the way in which he had been singing earlier. Bubba swallowed and found himself smiling as he stirred his half empty mug of hot coco.

"Ahh no, not exactly at least." He trailed off for a moment before picking up again quite rapidly. "Actually yes, my name is Bubba and I heard you playing not long ago, I was wondering what your name might be...just curiosity." He wanted to drown himself in the remaining two inches of his drink for how ridiculous he sounded. Really how awkward was he going to make this? He was interested in the mans music, and yet he was asking for his name as if he were approaching the president of the United States. Bubba watched a bit too intently as the male chuckled and just reached out to pat the top of his head.

"The name's Marhsall, Marshall Lee. Heh, You're a cute kid bubba..." he said with a cocky grin as he ruffled the male's hair and then stepped away from him to go wait on another table and get paid compliments.

Bubba almost exploded.

He could feel his cheeks heat up with rage as the feeling of those fingers patting him on the head lingered like the bone cold feeling of sticking your fingers in a bucket of ice. He was NOT a kid! In fact he was doubtlessly much older than Marshall just by appearances. It was one thing to call him cute, which was demeaning in his own way, But to call him a kid AND ruffle his hair like that? No, No, NO!. Absolutely not! those were demeaning and terrible and Bubba found himself gritting his teeth.

"Why you little....i should." He growled out the words as his cheeks continued to be hot and angry to match his internal emotional lava pit of frustration. He caught the other males attention and frowned at him.

"I'm not a kid you asshole! I happen to be over the legal age thank you very much!" He said huffily before he crossed his arms as if proving an all important point. Marshall simply raised an eyebrow and laughed before he walked by the male and tapped him on the nose.

"What ever you say bubblegum, you're still a kid if you wear and expression like that." He said with a laugh before he disappeared back around the corner to the kitchen. He was completely and entirely furious, and it wasn't long before he had laid money down on the table, including a tip for Marceline, and left the Cafe in a flustered and angry state. He muttered to himself about what an intolerable person that Marshall Lee was and how he would be lucky if he never ran into him again. This was day one of their Canada trip, and he had been right of course. This trip was going to be memorable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awesome another chapter down! I am going to try to update everyday ^^!  
> Thank for reading this hopefully you're having fun and things are just starting to heat up with these two! >^


	3. Coffee Machine Love

Bubba clearly remembered feeling outraged and offended as he had stormed out of the cafe the previous night. He hadn't even been able to explain to Bonnibel why he was so furious before he had slipped into his bed and turned out the lights. Clearly the man had upset him and it was always a good idea to stay away from things that upset you.

Therefore, for the life of him, Bubba Gumball could not figure out why he was standing anxiously outside the Cafe at eight in the morning. He rocked on his heels nervously as he pursed his lips. This was a bad idea. A very very bad idea. Now if he had wanted to get upset and be angry at something then it was a good idea, but mostly it was just a down right terrible idea.

Curiosity did in fact kill the cat, and as Bubba slowly descended those five short steps into the Cafe, that dead cats name was Bubba Gumball. He pushed open the door, causing a small bell to go off as he entered the premise. Already he could think of a thousand and one reasons to turn tail and run like hell back to the Hotel and his sister. Sadly, his mind was having none of that so he strolled right up to the counter and opened his mouth.

"I would like a Chai Tea Latte please with..." He completely faltered as the girl standing behind the counter turned around with a smirk that screamed mockery at him.

"That's good to know, except that usually you wait to be seated before you order hun." Marceline said with a sly smile at his defeated expression.

"Oh right... My apologies, I'll go sit down." He said humbly as his cheeks flared with embarrassment. Bubba shuffled off towards a small table near the large glass window and sat himself down. Just like that, his confidence was down and now he had one thousand and two reasons to turn tail and run. He had completely made a fool of himself in a matter of seconds. The more he sat there the more he dreaded the fact that he had wound up in front of the cafe again.

The problem was that he didn't even remember purposefully walking to the Cafe. He had simply gone for a light morning walk in his dark purple jeans and pink sweater, and bam! There it was in all of its red mocking glory right in front of him.

The pink haired man heaved a sigh and burrowed his face in his hands in frustration.

"What am I even doing here?" He bemoaned out loud as he slumped in the dark wood chair.

"Well most people order coffee, it is a Cafe after all."

Bubba lurched up in his seat at the familiar tenor voice and his eyes widened. Marshall Lee stood before him in a black button up shirt with an equally black apron around his waist. The urge to flee, panic and beat the man senseless all surfaced all at the same time and came out as an awkwardly stifled noise of surprise.

Marshall simply raised an eyebrow at the mans response before he chuckled and took the pen from behind his ear.

"I overheard that you wanted a chai tea latte, anything else?" The cockiness was still present in his voice, but Bubba found the man to be rather polite. As was expected when one was working as a server.

"Umm yes, that is exactly what I wanted. N-nothing else, thank you." He said with and awkward politeness to his tone. It was quite the contrast to the smooth relaxed tone the other male had used.

"Awesome, I'll have that right out for you bubblegum." He said with a grin.

Bubba immediately felt his defenses go up as he puffed out his chest slightly.

"Please don't call me that, it's not my name you know." He said in a haughty manner as he leveled a glare at the other man. Marshall cocked an eyebrow and attempted to hide his grin by pursing his lips.

"Than what should I call you? Gummy? Blow pop... Gotta be something pink related." He chuckled at the end of his words.

"My name is Bubba, and I would like it if you actually used it." He delivered his response with slightly puffed out cheeks as he turned his displeased glare onto the helpless table.

"Alright then Bubba, one Chai Latte coming right up." Marshall slid the pen back behind his ear before he turned and walked away from the mans table. Bubba could at least admit that it was some progress. It slowly occurred to him that he had already allowed Marshall to get under his skin way too much. He needed to gain some ground or abandon ship, otherwise he would just get swept up in the other mans pace.

###### 

Marshall had successfully avoided an awkward situation once again. As soon as the pink haired man had re-entered the cafe he had come to the realization that he had completely forgotten the male's name from the previous night. So in order to avoid an awkward situation, he had gotten Bubba to tell him his name again. Plus it was always a bonus if the man got a little bit peeved.

As he made the Chai Latte, Marshall contemplated how the other man had stormed out of the Cafe the night before. He grinned cheekily as he remembered the flushed and downright furious expression he had caused on the other male completely by accident.

He had been attempting to be honest and flattering when he had called the male a cute kid, but obviously he had stomped with full force on a sensitive nerve. Marshall chuckled and shook his head as he poured the cream into the tall coffee mug and made it into a heart with a swiping hand motion.

With a smirk he carried the drink over to the male and set it down in front of him.

"One expertly made Chai Latte, the best you'll ever have." He said with plenty of fanfare and pride before he stepped back a bit and watched the male slyly. He pretended to be occupied with his note pad as Bubba's eyebrows shot up at the obvious heart shape in the foam on his drink.

"Is that a heart?" The pink haired male asked in obvious confusion. Marshall faked innocence as he blinked and leaned over to look at the mug.

"Well would you look at that, I guess the coffee machine has a thing for you." He said nonchalantly as he stood up straight again. He looked down at his note pad again only to feel eyes on him. Slowly Marshall looked up to meet the males rather sarcastic look.

"The coffee machine? Really?"

"What? Coffee machines have feelings too, don't discriminate against them man." With a shrug he watched as Bubba rolled his eyes and took a drink of the coffee. He took in the males expression of bliss and smiled.

"Good right? I told you it would be the best you'd ever had." He said with a knowing look and nod of his head. The male casually moved to sit in the chair across from Bubba and looked at him with a lazy smile upon his face.

Bubba did really enjoy the flavor of the drink but he had to purse his lip at the comment.

"Maybe not the best but certainly good." Came the reply as Bubba continued to take sips of the drink. Marshall found himself watching for a bit before he realized how decidedly creepy that was and instead turned his gaze out the window. He looked at the clouds that had decided to grace them with their presence today, like most other days, and thought about the man sitting across from him.

"Aren't you supposed to be working right now?" Marshall turned to look back at Bubba and made eye contact with the male. He shrugged and leaned back in his chair nonchalantly. He was very good at slacking off.

"Nahhh Marcie has it covered, besides why work when I could be teasing you?" He said with a sly smirk. Sadly his comment had to be completely ruined by Marceline coming over and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I have it covered? I can only serve half the tables in this Cafe Marshall Lee. Get your butt up and stop flirting with customers!" His butt was promptly yanked from the chair as Marceline grabbed him by his ear and pulled him from the table. If you have never been pulled around by your ear before then let me inform you, it really fucking hurts. He whined and closed one eye in pain as he tried to keep up with the woman.

"Ow ow ow! Marcie that hurts!" He complained loudly as he was pulled along. Marshall looked back at the table and he grinned as he saw Bubba laughing and smiling at his expense. Good, so the male could both look completely angry and still be cute but he could also be cute and happy. It was nice to know that even if it was at his poor ears expense, he could get Bubba to laugh somehow. However his smile turned into a grimace as Marceline tugged particularly hard on his hearing appendages.

Once his ear was done being pulled off he went around to his tables to make drinks and serve desserts to whomever asked for them. It was a drag, but it was his job, and he would occasionally pass by Bubba's table and give the man a wink. Sadly Marceline would promptly have him moving onto the next table with a well placed glare. You could feel that look burning into the back of your head even from across a room. Marcie wasn't all evil glare and work work work, really that was just when her brother was slacking off. They were both really relaxed people and mostly it was just her way of teasing and getting back at him for being her older brother.

Despite his sisters looks and the other patrons of the Cafe, Marshall stopped by Bubba's table one more time to refill his drink for him. He took the empty mug and brought the male a fresh one with the same type of heart detailed in the foam.

"There you go, straight from the love sick coffee machine. I should really get that thing fixed. I cannot tell you how many customers it has flirted with today." It was all fun and games as he watched Bubba look at the drink again.

"Indeed, it's a crime for it to be flirting with so many people. Especially if no one is allowed to take it home." The male replied casually as he stirred the the drink to make the heart disappear into the creamy liquid. Marshall chuckled and looked over towards the coffee machine in question.

"You're probably right, I will have to reprimand it later." He paused and looked over at Bubba before he leaned on the table slightly. It was now or never, it was obvious that the male was not from around here and what if he didn't come back? Marshall prided himself on his boldness in most circumstances, and he was willing to take this chance. He slowly slid a piece of paper across the table to the other male as he smirked at him.

"Speaking of later...Are you free this afternoon? I noticed that you don't seem to be from this area and I happen to be excellent at giving tours." He grinned at the pink-haired male as he raised a questioning eyebrow. Rejection was no something he was completely unfamiliar with, but he also tended to keep prying and poking and prodding until that rejection turned into a yes. You could say he was persistent, but he was also slightly arrogant and he knew that he looked good, so confidence was not something he lacked. He was hopeful that all things considered, he wouldn't be flat out rejected.

Bubba looked at the piece of paper with a phone number on it and his eyes widened before he looked up at Marshall. It was obvious that things were going through his mind and Marshall just had to laugh at the response he was given.

"What will I tell the coffee machine though? I would hate to hurt it's feelings." Marshall chuckled and looked over at the coffee machine only to meet Marceline's eyes. He grinned and waved to his sister before he stood up.

"Ill sweet talk it for you, it's a pretty reasonable machine. After all it is flirting with everyone in the room." He made a sweeping gesture before he stood up straight and turned to walk away from the table. However he paused and looked over his shoulder with a grin. 

"I get off at 1:30" He said before heading behind the counter to where Marceline was. He waggled his tongue at his sister teasingly and she reached out to tug on it. He winced and tried to pull his tongue back into his mouth unsuccessfully.

"Marssy....Can ou letnn go om my toun" Words were difficult when someone was holding onto your tounge with their thumb and pointer finger. He poked his sister to try and get her to release his tongue, but she was very adamant about keeping it tight in her grasp. Luckily she was not grabbing onto his tongue piercing, because that would just be painful and not cool.

"What did i tell you about flirting with people while you're on shift?" She said with a cocky grin as she glanced over at the pink-haired male who looked extremely amused at the abuse that Marshall was being put through. Marshall flushed slightly but managed to give her a look right back.

"Ur jusht jelouss tha i can ge' some and ou can' " Finally his tongue was released and he quickly pulled it back into his mouth and wiped the corner of his lips where he had started to drool. He glared lightly at his little sister before he reached out and suddenly ruffled her hair, completely messing up how she had pulled it back. With a laugh and quick footwork he was out the other side of the counter and on his way towards some tables. He looked over his shoulder as Marceline glared playfully at him and went about fixing her hair. 

Marshall was excited about his lunch break now, he had already started formulating plans to tease and poke fun at the other male. Maybe he would bring his guitar too, just because Bubba had seemed to enjoy it so much the previous night. All he had to do was wait until 1:30.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woot! Chapter three is up! :D  
> Please enjoy and just know that this is only the beginning >:3


	4. Half to death

Bubba waited as patiently as he could for the male to finish his shift. He really had nowhere else to go besides the cafe, and eventually his boredom led to the removal of his cell phone from his pocket. If he were to buy another latte it would be a waste of money since he had already had two, even if they were rather heavenly.

His cell phone was one of the newest models of the droid smartphones, it might have been an I-phone had He not previously broke the two he'd had. Really it was too easy to break and when it came to phones he was always breaking them. So he had quite the protective case on his smart phone, in order to protect it from himself. His last phone had died a tragic death when he had gotten too upset and had thrown it at the door. However the door had been opened at that precious time and instead it went clattering down the hard stairs until all that was left was a shattered screen and broken pieces. He was an abusive phone owner.

The clouds that had been setting in previously had finally patched up all of the blue holes, leaving the sky a rather dark grey color. Bubba didn't really mind it since all he ever saw was sunshine, a change of pace was nice from time to time. However, he despised the rain. It made his skin feel gross and clammy whenever he got caught in a rainstorm and he avoided them as much as possible. 

As he sat there and contemplated the weather like a boring prude, before his phone sounded with a message. He looked down curiously and unlocked the screen. It was from Bonnie, who seemed rather put out that he had ditched her that morning. With a sigh he texted her back rapidly in hopes that he could quell her anger somewhat.

'My apologies Bonnie, I went for a quick morning walk and ended up at a Cafe.' He pursed his lips and then proceeded to give her directions to the cafe. He didn't really want to leave his sister alone for an extended amount of time, because that was simply rude, but then again Marshall's invitation for a city tour hadn't seemed like an open one.

The pink-haired male sighed as he looked out at the cloud passing overhead. He wondered absently what he was getting himself into. While Marshall had seemed mostly nice and funny, he had also completely aggravated him more than once. He had known the male for what, not even a full day? What was he really getting himself into? Bubba reminded himself that it was just a short tour of parts of the city; it would be informative, fun and helpful. Or at least that’s what he wanted to believe.  
The time rolled around for them to leave and Bubba was shaken from his thoughts as someone drummed their fingers on the table. Standing next to him was Marshall in a red plaid shirt with a grey zip-up jacket slung over one arm carelessly.

“Ready for your awesome tour?” He asked with a cheeky grin that had him sticking his tongue out a little. Bubba huffed and rolled his eyes before he stood and nodded.

“Indeed, it better be awesome or I’ll be disappointed.” Bubba pulled his hoodie tighter around his tall frame before he looked at the male. Now that he was actually standing next to Marshall he could see that he was indeed slightly taller than him. Somehow it was a bit satisfying to him, as if he had somewhat of an edge on the other male.

“Trust me it will be awesome.” The dark-haired boy said as he led them towards the exit. Bubba noticed that Marceline seemed a little too pleased about both of them leaving and he noticed her tap away excitedly at her phone as soon as they were out the door. He looked at Marshall with a raised eyebrow.  
“Marceline seems happy to see you go.” Marshall let out a soft chuckle as he shook his head.  
“She’s just covering up how much she’ll miss me. Besides the lunch-time rush is already mostly over so she can slack off and text whoever it is she’s obsessed with.” He grinned and glanced back at the Café before simply shrugging and walking casually down the crowded street.

Even if Bubba was taller than the other male, he noticed that Marshall Lee had an extremely long stride and he had to actually try to keep up with the male. As the two of them walked down streets and past shops Marshall would occasionally point out something that was unique or interesting. It was a rather curious tour and Bubba found himself distracted by a lot of things. The number one thing that seemed to distract both of them was a pet shop they came upon.

“Yes, we are going in here.” Marshall declared with finality as he grabbed Bubba by his pink sweater and pulled him into the small shop. With some minor flailing as he was yanked into the shop Bubba watched as Marshall went over to the kittens and picked one up. He followed behind and looked at the little kittens as they played together in the small enclosure. He blinked at Marshall’s reaction to the kittens and grined.

“Do you own a kitten?” He asked as he reached out to gently rub the little kitten’s ears.  
“Yeah, she’s a cute kitty too.” The male smiled as he thought of his cute kitten at home. Marceline had protested for a poodle instead but Marshall had played the older brother card and had gotten them a kitten. Schwabl was an amazing kitten too. “What about you? Do you have any pets from whatever far off land you travelled from?” It was said so sarcastically that Bubba could only puff out his cheeks and scowl at the male.

“It isn’t like I live in Australia, but No. I don’t personally own any pets because they shed and leave messes. They are cute once and awhile though bu-Ow!” he was cut off as the cat he was petting scratched his hand and jumped from Marshall Lee’s arms and back into the enclosure. “…Animals also don’t seem to like me very much…They tolerate me but that is about it.”

The male glowered as Marshall started openly laughing at him. He crossed his arms and sucked on the wound on his hand a bit before he left the shop in frustration and walked briskly down the street. Marshall attempted to hold back his laughter as he followed him out.

“Wait Bubs! Haha I’m sorry it was just funny.” He tried to hold in his mocking comments as he caught up with the pink clothed male. Bubba paused and turned around to stare at him.

“Did you just call me Bubs?” His eyebrows shot up in confusion at the nickname, why was he already being assigned a nickname? He stared at the grinning male and watched as Marshall stuck his tongue out and started walking next to him again. He swore that the male’s stride was so long and smooth that it was almost like he was floating.

“Yes I did, I like to nickname people. It’s a habit of mine.” With a shoulder shrug they crossed the street.  
“Shouldn’t you ask someone if you can nickname them?” His comment seemed lost on the other man as he only received a shrug before they were walking again.

“That park is awesome.” Marshall pointed out a small park that had a plethora of trees and some iron sculpture work. One thing Bubba had noticed about the area was that most of it was modernized in a city fashion, such as the green park with modern metal sculptures. It was rather interesting to him.  
They crisscrossed along the grass of the park as Bubba looked at sculptures. It was very nice and the grass was soft to walk on. He turned around to find Marshall missing from his site. He blinked and looked around for the male but couldn’t seem to see him anywhere.

“Marshall?” He said the man’s name as he blinked and felt himself start to get angry. Had he really just been ditched at the park? He had decided to give the male a chance to be more civil and had been nicely surprised, but ditching your guest was just rude. “I swear if he just left me here-“

“Boo!”

“Arrrghh what the fuck!” Bubba jumped back as the male suddenly swung down in front of him. He stumbled back a bit and fell onto his ass in the grass. His gaze lifted to meet the teasing upside down face of the Café worker. Marshall had climbed the tree and was hanging by his knees so that he could stare at Bubba upside down, he was also grinning from ear to ear.

“What the hell! That was so rude!” Bubba huffed and glared at the male as his hands slowly curled into fists. Marshall simply laughed and grabbed onto the branch before he flipped back onto his feet.

“Oh come on Bubba, it was harmless fun hehe. Plus your expression was priceless when you thought I ditched you.” His back bumped the tree trunk as he casually leaned against it. More like posed, Bubba swore that Marshall was begging for attention from the passersby on the park pathway. He bit back a growl as he got to his feet and dusted off his butt.

“It was not funny! It is rude to play pranks on your guests Marshall Lee! And you nearly scared me half to death!” Bubba crossed his arms and glared half-heartedly at the other male. “You’re making it very difficult to not harbor ill feelings towards you Marshall…” 

Marshall just laughed and ran his fingers through his own hair as he walked over to the male.  
“Am I? I promise I’m not intentionally trying to make you ‘harbor negative feelings’. I wonder what happens if is care you half to death twice? hehe” The male laughed at the proper language that was being used. Bubba tried his best to keep an angry face, but Marshall’s laughter was slightly contagious and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards slightly despite his best effort.

“I wouldn’t know, so don’t do it again. Jerk.”He huffed slightly.

###### 

There were only a few people seated in the Café and Marceline made herself busy by cleaning glasses and making sure that everything was somewhat in order. When that was done she simply slumped in her chair behind the counter and lazily played with a strand of her own hair. ‘When is she going to get here?’ She wondered in her own head before she heaved a sigh. 

With a huff and a lazy stride she moved over to the tables to check on the patrons and refill drinks if she needed to. Eventually the little bell above the door sounded and she swiveled on one heeled boot. Her eyes met the long pink-haired girls and immediately she smiled. ‘Remember…play it cool Marcie.’ She reminded herself before she practically ran over to the girl that had just entered.

She half jogged over and just looked at Bonniebel before she grinned wide and teasingly and stepped forward to hug the other female.

“Hey, I see you made it safely hehe…” Marcie pulled away to look at her with a wide smile. How many miles had it been? Who knows, because now it was only a couple inches that separated them.

Bonnie seemed to look around nervously before she smiled as well.

“Did they both leave?”

Marceline nodded and took the other girls hand before she led her over behind the counter. Technically this was against protocol but whatever; she really didn’t give any hoots about rules right now.

“Nope, dumb and dumber have left the building. Girls only party now!” She grinned and Bonnie just rolled her eyes and followed Marceline. She put her available hand that wasn’t being held on her hip.

“My brother is not dumb, I mean I don’t really know about your brother, but Bubba is simply way too stuck up.” She shook her head with an embarrassed smile and both girls grinned at each other mischievously. “He also thinks that I was devastated that he left this morning without me.”

“Haha brilliant, lucky for us Marshall decided to give Bubba a ‘tour’ so now they are out of our hair! Tell me about your flight? Did you have to sit next to any weirdos?” The girls started to talk and tell about their recent adventures. It was completely different from Skypeing about it now that they could talk in person. Marceline still had to do her work at the café, so she made Bonnie a complementary hot chocolate for the girl to enjoy. Being in person, was so much better.


	5. Rain Soaked Skin

As time passed, both men ended up sitting under a tree at the park. Bubba sat with his back to the tree as Marshall calmly laid on his stomach and picked at the freshly cut blades of grass. At some point the shorter male had slipped on his jacket and he now wore it with the sleeves pushed up as he lounged. They had been bantering and a comfortable silence had settled over them as they sat there. Eventually Marshall couldn't stand the silence and he propped his chin in his hand and looked at the curiously pink male.

"So, how are you liking Toronto? You came from...?" He trailed off to pose it as a question as he looked at the male.

"San Diego, California. The state of riches and beaches. Toronto is nice I guess, the clouds are a nice change of weather."

"You don't get clouds in California?" Marshall raises a skeptical eyebrow at the male and with a chuckle and a shake of his head Bubba replied.

"Of course we do, even dry places get clouds. They're just bigger here and more frequent which I find entertaining." He shrugged and glanced up at the sky.

Marshall nodded at that revelation as he continued to pull absently at the grass. The park was calm and only a few people walked by, sometimes families other times just random people.

"What about you? Why are you in Canada? You don't really have the accent of the area..." Bubba spoke up as he stared curiously at the male.

Marshall simply chuckled and rolls over onto his back to look up at the clouds. Asking why he was there was like asking for his life story, which was not something he cared to share. He decided for the simplest answer he could muster.

"My sister and I moved here after she graduated High school. We wanted something different and getting out of the country sounded nice. Plus we have dual-citizenship between Canada and the US." He shrugged.

"That seems very adventurous." The taller male commented and watches as Marshall stared up at the clouds.

"Why so much pink?" Marshall rolled back onto his stomach and tugged at the edge of Bubba's sweater. "Even your hair is dyed pink? Are you a hardcore breast cancer awareness supporter?" His lips twitched up into a teasing grin as he watched the male huff and swat his hand away.

"No, well I am, but that's not why. It's my favorite color, whats wrong with wanting to wear a lot of it?"

"You never get sick of wearing pink? Why not try like...black or red." Marshall was baffled by the idea.

"Well I wear royal purple and maroon too. My pants aren't pink." He pointed out the purple pants and Marshall just shook his head.

"When did you dye your hair?"

"Hm we started dying our hair in middle school I believe." Bubba tapped his chin thoughtfully as he tried to remember when the hair-dying had happened.

"We?"

"My twin sister and I, she has long pink hair." Marshall nodded his understanding, he peered at the male and tried to imagine him as a girl with long hair. It was WAY too easy to imagine it and he just snorted in amusement. 

"What is your normal hair color then?"

"blonde, well more of platinum blonde really. It make dying it easier."

Marshall nodded to that and he sat up slightly before he looked at the males hair curiously and felt a strand of it. Bubba furrowed his brows and looked at the other male in confusion as his hair was inspected.

"You should totally dye your hair teal while you're up here..." The dark-haired male smirked down at Bubba and stuck his tongue out slightly. "It would be funny and awesome....or we could just dye it rainbow. We can give you super awesome gay rainbow hair." With a snicker Marshall felt his hands get swatted away again.

"No way, i like my hair as it is. If you want to dye someone's hair why don't we dye your hair rainbow?" Bubba watched the male and snickered at the thought. Marshall made a face and shoved the pink male slightly.

"No way, rainbow is not my kind of thing." He blinked and shook his head. "No way am I dying my hair." He chuckled before he paused as he felt a rain drop hit the back of his hand. he blinked and looked up before shifting onto his knees. "It's starting to rain.

Bubba looked slightly panicked as he got to his feet quickly and looked at the sky warily. Marshall looked at him curiously.

"Do you really hate the rain that much dude?" He motioned for Bubba to follow as the droplets quickly increased in frequency and started getting bigger.

"It makes my skin fell gross and sticky and i really do dislike it." Bubba muttered hastily before he walked under an awning of a small candle shop so that they were out of the rain. Marshall quickly joined him and shook the fresh droplets from his hair unceremoniously. He looked out at the rain as it very quickly picked up speed and strength to start drenching the streets.

"It will stop soon, correct?" Bubba peered at Marshall and then at the rain.

"Depends, most storms can last for several hours or even days...once it lets up a little we can probably make it back to the Cafe and hang out there." He scoffed at the expression worn by the pink-haired male. "What? No one ever died from a little bit of water...We'll be fine."

"That doesn't mean I have to like it!" They continued to bicker slightly before Marshall gave up tormenting the male about his rain phobia and leaned against a wall.

"You know, i thought we might be getting along...but you seem to hold a grudge against me." He commented as he himself leaned back against the wall. His dark bangs shadowed his face slightly and he watched Bubba curiously, his ever present smirk in place.

Bubba blinked at Marshalls comment and shook his head before he paused to think about how he was acting. 

"No, i don't hold a grudge against you. You're just not the most polite person and you tease a lot. You're kind of hard to read too..." Bubba made sure that his hair was still gelled upwards and that the rain hadn't completely flattened it.

"Ahh I'm an enigma it seems. Like a vampire that no one understands! Muwahahaha!" He pretended to laugh easily as he leaned over towards the male neck and was promptly swatted away, which only caused him to laugh more. "Hahaha ouch, at least I'm not using physical violence!"

Bubba rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, he resisted the urge to laugh or smile at the joke because that would just be giving Marshall to much solid ground when it came to their strange banter. If his sister heard them she would probably scold him lightly for his behavior but they were on vacation so he saw no reason to act completely proper. Marshall had a strange way of making him want to just relax, he blamed the males deep soothing voice.

###### 

After some time spent underneath the awning the rain let up enough and both boys made a mad dash back to the Cafe. They were faiely wet when they got there and Bubba groaned at the wet feeling that creeped over his skin, undoubtedly his hair was probably completely messed up as well.

"I should have known we would get caught in the rain..." He muttered before smiling at Marshall and shrugging it off. Bubba had to do a double take though as he noticed his sister sitting at a table with Marceline. He waved to his twin only to get an excited smile in return. That was quite the smile and he was immediately pleased that his sister and Marceline seemed to be getting along quite nicely.

"Well don't they just look like two peas in a pod." Marshall commented dryly, or rather wetly, behind him as he attempted to fix his wet hair.

"yeah, that's my sister Bonnie." Bubba started to make his way over to the table so he missed Marshall's sarcastic comment. 

"I had no idea, the long pink hair and girl version of you. It makes so much sense. Even your names, Bonnie and Bubba." He chuckled before making his way over and it wasn't long before they were all chatting about how they had met up. Marshall reluctantly dawned his work apron again and had to wait on tables and poor them drinks, to which Bubba teased him relentlessly. It was funny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terribly sorry for the delay. Life caught up with me and i went back to work this week so my free-time and motivation plummeted! But here is chapter five! Don't worry I'm not abandoning this story! C:  
> Also limited editing on this one, sorry for mistakes...:C


	6. What the hell am I doing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NSFW warning on this chapter!   
> Have fun and enjoy ;P

Beep... Beep... Beep... Beep!

Marshall groaned and rolled in his small bed. There was a silent cry of 'Noooo' in his head as he attempted to cover his ears.

Beep...Beep...Beep...Beep!

Marshall growled and flipped over before he slammed his hand down onto of the alarm clock to shut it up.

"God damn.... I want to sleep more. Hng curse you le cafe rouge and your dumb opening time!" He grumbled incoherently as he untangled his limbs from the sheets and swung his feet out so that they touched the floor. He wished he could float everywhere, life would be so awesome if he could just do that.

With a sigh that rivaled that of a lonesome maiden, Marshall got to his feet and stumbled sleepily into the bathroom. Something was definitely wrong when you were up before the sun, that was his rule. If he had his way he would stay up all night and sleep through the day, but that sadly was not how the normal world worked.

In Marshall world, you would wake up at 7:30 pm and go to bed at 8:30 am... It was perfect! Or not.

He closed the bathroom door and stripped before stepping into the shower. If he didn't shower then he would have crawled right back into bed and fallen asleep. The shower helped completely wake him up from his zombified state. The hot water rolled down his spine and with it all of his stress and any tenseness. He prided himself on being a relaxed person and showers were probably the reason why. They were so freaking relaxing.

As he stepped out several minutes later, the bathroom fogged up and he groaned as he noticed something important...

The towel rack was empty... Completely empty. There wasn't even a hand towel. 

"Well I guess I'm going native today..." Marshall just laughed and opened the bathroom door. Only to be met with his sister, posed as if she were about to knock on it.

"Really Marshall? Really?" She flushed slightly and shoved him back into the bathroom before closing the door. "Seriously put some fucking clothes on you dork!" Having completely forgotten what it was she was going to tell him, Marceline just went back into the living room; leaving a very amused Marshall Lee in the bathroom.

"Hahaha sorry sis! My bad... Forgot a towel you know..." He pursed his lips before sneakily opening the door again and heading to his room. He stopped by the closet and grabbed a towel on the way so that he wouldn't be soaking.

A black pair of skinny jeans and a red button up shirt later and he was practically ready to go. He looked in the mirror and confirmed that he was hot, of course he was well aware of that fact. Didn't mean that he particularly cared when girls fawned all over him. He wasn't even particularly into girls at all, I mean they were cool to flirt with and tease but, he was already developing a thing.

Yes, feelings. Marshall Lee was developing FEELINGS. It was quite a shocker to himself even. Who would have thought that the guy he pissed off on Friday night would be hanging around their cafe with his sister and chatting with them. He enjoyed teasing that pink-themed kid probably more than he'd enjoyed any kind of teasing or flirting in a long.

It was just so EASY to tease Bubba, seriously he was kind of a dork in an adorable way. Long six day story short, it was now Wednesday and Bubba was most-likely going to be at the cafe in an hour again ordering a chai latte. Marshall politely told his heart to 'shut the fuck up and stop beating so loud you useless piece of crap' before he combed his still damp hair and went out to the kitchen.

"Yo Mar we got any bacon? Oh oh oh or strawberries?" He hunted around in the fridge for his favorite red fruit.

"I ate them all, you're too slow." She commented dryly as she glanced over the morning news.

"Are you kidding me man? I was looking forward to eatin those..." He pouted slightly but settled for a bowl of grapes instead. He had a thing for red, as did his sister. One of their favorite things to eat was strawberries, and cherries. All of the red fruits that were super tasty and sweet.

As he settled at their small kitchen table with his bowl of grapes he studied Marceline slightly.

"So..." Excellent conversation starter #1. "I noticed that you haven't been on your phone as much... Something happen with that person you were talking to?" He raised an eyebrow at her as his teeth sunk into the soft flesh of the grape. At least they weren't sour grapes.

Marceline seemed to turn a little more pale, which is rather hard when you're fairly certain that you never see that much sun. 

"Um kinda yeah, it's whatever ya know? " she brushed it off and got up to clear her plate that evidently had the remains of some juicy strawberries. Curses she really had eaten them. 

He eyed his kid sister curiously as she rinsed off her plate. Yep he knew it.

"Ahh... So it's boyfriend troubles?" The plate clattered in the sink as Marceline dropped it and whirled to face him.

"I-it is not! I'm talking to a girl you dumbass!" She fumed silently as Marshall just blinked back and nodded.

"Oh okay I see...." He paused for a bit an ate a few grapes before smirking. "So it's your girlfriend?" He watched her expression and gave himself a mental pat on the back. Totally fucking nailed it. He let out a low whistle and grinned at his sister. "Damn Sis, I'm hurt! You never bothered to tell me you were batting for the other team!" He snickered slightly as Marceline flushed and glared back.

"Well you never bothered to tell ME either! Imagine the shock I had that one night I came home to see you on some guys lap in the livingroom!" Marshall burst out laughing as he reflected on that evening. He leaned back in his chair before slowly he managed to control his cackling.

"Haha... Ha... Ahh man that was fucking hilarious. You were a million shades of red. Damn was that Peter? He was hot..." He mused quietly before popping a grape into his mouth with a shrug. "Whatever, good for you. I want to meet her. I gotta be a good big brother you know...hehe." He snickered at that thought and stood up to put the bowls of grapes back in the fridge.

Marceline huffed and flipped her exceedingly long hair over a shoulder.

"Whatever, we have to hurry up and get to the Cafe." She paused for a moment before pursing her lips and looking at Marshall. "I'll introduce you to her if you stop hitting on Bubba." She gave him a knowing look.

Now it was Marshall's turn to be embarrassed as he blinked at his sister and chuckled. "What makes you  think I'm hitting on him Marcy? " his head tilted to the left as he pursed his lips.

"Oh please, 'the coffee Machine loves you' that was the lamest thing I've ever heard... It's so obvious Marsh." She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Damn she really had him pinned.

"Ahh there is a difference between flirting and hitting on simeone dear sister. I have not used a single cheesy pick-up line, and I'm not trying to get into his pants so it's not hitting on him..." Marshall shrugged and made his way casually back towards his bedroom. "No one ever got hurt from a bit of flirting."

"Yeah right! You do too want in his pants you little liar!" She was too late though as he fled Into his bedroom to grab his red tennis shoes and slip them on. It slowly occurred to him what his sister had really said. Why did she want him to stop flirting with Bubba? She had never had a problem with him hitting on guys before.

Marshall made his way to the door and looked at his sister curiously before  he grinned wide at her. 

"The answer is no by the way, the pink haired cutie is mine... Hahaha!" He laughed before leaving out the front door of their apartment and down to the lobby. He was a man with a goal, and he was also curious and stubborn. There was no way he was gonna give up easily, or at all. 

###### 

Bubba stared at the ceiling of their hotel room in the dark and contemplated what exactly he was doing. It was 5:30 in the morning and he was wide awake. Why? Because of Marshall Lee. Well not because the man was THERE or anything, but because Bubba could not stop thinking. What was he doing? Showing up at a cafe every single morning an hour after opening and ending up wasting whole afternoons of his vacation just talking to the guy. It was baffling, and at first he thought it was because he had found a friend in a strange place. Sadly that did not explain why he was wide awake after having an entirely too graffic dream about the very same guy that now haunted his thoughts.

It had been too much, waking up with a name on his lips and feeling too hot and bothered to deal with the blankets that trapped his feet.

In all his life, bubba had never really had an arousing dream. Then again... He had never met someone as mesmerizing as Marshall either. Despite all of that, if he closed his eyes he could still feel the fast fading images of his dream. Hands on his body, his mouth claiming those hot lips. Everything about Marshall had been entirely too sexy and he was appalled with himself and his mind for thinking up such graphic and dirty things.

It wasn't like he'd never touched himself before or had sexual experiences. He was a teenaged male after all and sexual urges were just a thing most guys had to live with. It still felt entirely different from this hot passion that swelled in his veins as he lulled over the dream in his head one more time.

He couldn't take it anymore. The sheets were off in a moment and he was quickly padding over to the small bathroom. As much as it freaked him out to even think about doing something like masturbating in the same hotel room that his SISTER was sleeping in, he desperately needed some kind of release. The least he could do was do it in the shower.

It felt like a blur before he was completely naked and under the hot stream of water that felt like it was melting his skin. He was flushed with the heat of the shower and embarrassment as he slowly wrapped his fingers around his stiffened length. He was far too hard to last long, which was fine in his mind since he really wanted to be done with this before his sister even thought about waking up.

He gave himself a soft squeeze before slowly sliding his hand upwards as his teeth dug softly into his bottom lip. His left hand slid up against the cool tiling of the shower wall as his forehead thumped lightly against the wall as well.

Everything was too hit as he closed his eyes and smoothly stroked himself. Marshall's light blue eyes burning with lust into his as they felt each other and moved as one. His mind was far too perverted for his own good, but damn those lips. He did his best to imagine what it would feel like to kiss them and lick them, and rake his teeth down the creamy skin of his neck and just taste him.

It was too much, too quickly as he spilled hot and fast into his hand with a shuddering gasp. "F-fuck Marshall.... Haa haa...." He slowly slid down to his knees and panted as he came down from the incredible high of pleasure. As short as it was it was still amazing and he sat their numbly for a few seconds to gather his brain.

"Shit..... What the heck am I doing." As realization dawned on him, he thumped his forehead against the wall. It wasn't like him to get so sexually frustrated over someone, or even feel anything for someone. He had been so incredibly focused on his studies recently that he hasn't had time to mess around with anyone or even think about dating.

It cut at his pride as he slowly had to admit to himself as he huddled at the bottom of the shower. He was totally, and completely, infatuated with Marshall Lee and he and his sister were returning to San Diego in two days. He was royally fucked.


	7. Lazer Tag

Bubba was completely mortified and embarassed when he and his sister walked into Le Cafe Rouge and Marshall and Marceline nodded politely to them. It was all still so fresh and vivid in his mind and he flushed bubblegum pink before moving quickly over to a table with his twin. She looked at him curiously but he brushed her off with a polite smile and a wave of his hand.

He was truly embarrassed with himself as he sank into his chair. There was hardly any point in giving himself away or moping so he just acted as if everything was normal as he talked with his sister. 

It was just idle chit chat until Marceline made her way over to their table with an amused smirk before sitting down next to Bonnibel. Bubba eyed the girl briefly before he found himself scanning the Cafe to spot where Marshall was. He eyed the pale skinned man as he made a drink for one of the patrons of the cafe. It was all there, the silky black hair, slightly thin but strong body, probably soft lips. Oh god he was so toasted and buttered in this situation.

"That sounds like fun! What do you think Bubba?" His sister looked at him expectantly and blinked her violet eyes.

"Wait what? I was...er distracted." He cleared his throat and ignored how hot his face felt as he looked at the two females. He noted how Marceline followed where his gaze had been and raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him. He needed an excuse...now. Bonnie rolled her eyes at her brother.

"Marcie wanted to know if we wanted to go play lazer tag with Marshall and her in about an hour when they get off shift! Doesn't that sound exciting?" she smiled happily at her twin and he was just relieved for the distraction. Honestly it was one stupid dream and he needed to get the hell over it before he really screwed something up.

"Oh yes, that sounds entertaining!" He smiled at the thought and watched as his sister nodded in agreement.

"I bet it does Bubba...I bet it does. In the dark...with Marshall hunting you down." She grinned wickedly and eyed him. Bubba stared back, attempting to keep a straight face as he pursed his lips and forced his blush to go down.

"Uh yes, lazer tag is entertaining. We will pick teams there I assume?" He quickly redirected the conversation and watches the two girls as they talked about how badass they were at lazer tag. His eyes wandered however back towards the male waiting on tables. He just needed to be casual and collected, he could be extremely collected when he wanted to, and Bubba felt himself sit up straighter in his seat. As he found Marshall near the back of the cafe, he quickly looked away when their eyes met. Was Marshall staring at him too? Or was it just chance that their eyes met? Either way it was embarrassing so he listened back in on the girls conversation. This was going to be a long day.

###### 

Marshall was excited as they all left the cafe and headed towards the underground transit system. He had proposed the idea of lazer tag to his sister on their way into work this morning since they only had a half day shift. They traded with Fionna and Fin before the lunch time rush and the two best friends wished them an algebraic time at lazer tag.

The subway was slightly packed with people for the lunch time rush, but they all managed to squeeze onto one of the trains. Bubba, being the gentlman he was, gave up his seat for an older lady and ended up standing in front of Marshall.

Marshall was tempted, oh he was so tempted to grab those hips and plop Bubba right down on his lap. It would be hilarious to see his outraged and embarassed expression. However he noted the two girls who were quietly talking and he wondered if it would freak them out at all.

Then again, since when had he ever cared what people thought about his actions? That was all the thought process Marshall needed before his hands clamped down on those jean clad hips and tugged slightly to send Bubba stagering backwards onto his lap. 

"M-Marshall!?!!" Bubba exclaimed his name in shock and confusion as he just gaped open-mouth at the other male. Marshall was briefly reminded of a pink fish before he grinned snarkily.

"Yes Bubba?"

"W-What are you doing?!" He was still baffled but Mashall noted the blush slowly tinting those pale cheeks as more things came to light for the pink-haired male.

"Giving you somewhere to sit!" He smiled, raidiating nothing but pure politeness, even if they were getting strange looks.

"T-thank you but let me go." It was a firm command deapite the slight wavers in his voice and Marshall leaned forward with a smirk. 

"But what if I want to trap you and eat you up?" He pretended to be vampire-like and lean towards the males neck.

Bubba was out of his lap and across the train car faster than Marshall could blink, and it was all he could do to simply sit there and look over at where Bubba has sprinted off to.

"Smooth Marshall smooth..." Marceline commented dryly as Bonnie stared at him with flushed cheeks and a confused expression. He just laughed and shook his head.

"Smooth is my middle name sister. Hehe I'm sorry Bubba didn't mean to freak you out that much. Gonna live? Or do we have to call the wambulence?" He teased the male more but stopped as he saw the flustered and angry glare. He pursed his lips together and was promptly shut up by that look. Somehow he felt in trouble.

"Shut up Marshall, you're such an asshole." Bubba crossed his arms over his chest and looked out the window. It seemed like he had accidentally taken one too many steps in the wrong direction. Needless to say, the rest of their train ride was awkwardly quiet all the way to the station. Marshall felt a little bit guilty, just a tad. Maybe is mocking comments had gone a bit too far, but it was still funny. He just really hoped that Bubba wouldn't hold it against him.

###### 

He wasn't exactly angry with Marshall, okay so he was a little bit angry with Marshall. Honestly though who wouldn't be angry with someone acting like that around you? It was so frustrating, especially since he was still feeling completely off-kilter from the stupid erotic dream he'd had that morning. In the end he couldn't bring himself to speak to the male even as they all lined up and were divided into teams for the lazer tag match.

He and Marshall were split up, but Marceline also ended up on his team. They were blue team and Marshall and Bonnie were on the red team.

"You guys are so going down!" Marshall grinned as he put on the sensored vest and head gear and held his lazer gun.

Bubba's grip tightened on his own gun and he had the sudden urge to shoot Marshall Lee straight in his cocky little mouth. Wait that sounded awakward. Arrghh where was his brain these days?!

"Whatever Marsh, you know you're gonna lose." Marceline jibed back at her brother and luckily for Bubba the match started and they were all led through the dark room to the opposite sides. There were other people playing as well and the one asigned as the blue team captain started giving orders about how they should play and their tactics.

Bubba really only had one goal in mind as he crouched behind a fake wall in the slightly foggy dark room. Shoot down Marshall Lee.

Too bad this wasn't a paintball match, he felt like that would have been more satisfying. Dangerous of course, and if he weren't so frustrated then he would have definitely rejected the idea. As it was though he had his goal. 

When the buzzer went off to signal that they could go try to get the other teams, Bubba stayed put for a bit before he crept out and then hid behind another obstacle. This one had a window that he peered out of and he shot a red teamer with his lazer, shutting their weapon and light up vest off for a few minutes as a penalty.

It was hazy from the slight smoke and darkness of the room and Bubba found himself rounding a corner a bit quickly. To his misfortune he turned the corner and ran straight into Bonnie who promptly shot him in the chest with her red lazer.

"Oh dang freaking nabit!" He did his best not to curse since there were some little kids around but he glared at his twin as she scampered off to go shoot more people.

While he waited for the penalty time to go out he leaned against the structure to keep mostly hidden from site. It wasn't too long after his pentaly was up that Marshall came strolling around the corner.

"Aha!" He promptly shot the man square in the chest, pulling the trigger a few times more than was necissary really but he felt better now.

Marshall cocked an eyebrow and held his hands up in a surrendering position. 

"Whoa there, someone seems a bit ticked off. Hehe don't worry i have been shot and am completely at your mercy." Bubba could hear the slightly mocking tone of the male and he pursed his lips as Marshall slowly walked towards him.

He tooks several steps back until he was backed up into a corner with Marshall grinning like a wolf. Why did he feel like he was still at a disadvantage even though he had scored a point against Marshall?

"If I shot you then why are you cornering me?" Bubba muttered it as he kept his gun trained on the other male.

Marshall just grinned and shrugged. "You're fun to corner Bubba, it's true. I am sorry though, for earlier." 

Bubba raised an eyebrow at the honest apology, but kept the male a good distance away by keeping his lazer gun planted firmly against his chest.

"I really wish you wouldnt tease and be so agravating! It really is inconvenient you know!" Bubba huffed but he nodded to the apology and flipped his slightly whimsical pink hair to the side a smidgen. "You are forgiven for your earlier comments then." He muttered a bit sulkily but he did lower his gun slightly. At least Marshall was attempting to apologize, and he had gotten to shoot him.

"Sweet hehe. Hey Bubba guess what?"

"What?"

"Bang!" Marshall shot Bubba right in the chest, disabling his thinking processes momentarily before he leaned forward to brush his lips over the tip of Bubba's nose before dashing away.

Needless to say, Bubba turned a dark shade of crimson and shouted at the male quite loudly before he was rebooted up and went to chase after him. He took it back, all of it! Marshall was a childish person and he deserved to be shot more!  
____________________________________________

All four of them shot at and got shot at throughout the game and in the end they were fairly tired from running around so much. 

"Ugh so tired! Even if it was fun..." Bonnie complained with a gentle laugh as they sat down on the mostly empty subway train. Bubba had re-found and shot Marshall a few times so in the end he felt better about the whole thing and he wasn't entirely upset with the male.

Marceline nodded in agreement and grinned. "I have to say though, Marsh you got your butt kicked by Bubba. What did you do to piss him off?" Her grin was mischievous and knowing and Bubba had to wonder if she had been secretly watching their little exchange.

"He cornered me after i shot him the first time and waited for his penalty to be up before taking a cheap point blank range shot." He huffed and gave Marshall a look, only to receive a teasing grin in return.

"Bubba is scary when he's angry hehe." Bubba just rolled his eyes at the comment and shoved the dark-haired male's leg with his own foot. They all laughed a bit and continued to reminisce on the fun events of the afternoon before they all parted ways. They sad their goodbyes tot heir friends at the Cafe where Marceline and Marshall took a different route towards their apartment. Bubba walked next to his sister and remained deep in thought before he noticed the somber air around his twin.

At first he was hesitant to say anything to her, but when they neared their hotel he couldn't resist anymore, she seemed entirely too sad after a fun day. If anyone was allowed to be upset it was him for being teased so much!

"Bonnie whats wrong? Did you not have fun today?" he was confused, she had been laughing and smiling with everyone only moment previously. Bonnie looked up and then sighed before biting her lip.

"Bubba...we're leaving soon. Tomorrow is our last day here and..." she paused and looked up at him with slightly teary eyes. "I-I don't want to go! You see I'm...I'm in love with Marceline!" Her eyes were wide and pleading for her twin to understand as he stared at her in shock. What? His sister was in love with the girl they had only met for a week? Wasn't that too soon, how could you even know if you really LOVE someone in such a short amount of time? He just blinked at his sister in silent astonishment before gently tugging her into his arms. 

"I see, that is...complicated." He was truly at a loss for words in this situation, and yet it felt familiar to him, just slightly. He also, did not want to leave in two days...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I've been caught up with school-type things recently, but here is the next chapter! Things are starting to get interesting I think ouo...  
> So I am un-sure on how long I want to make this but i still have quite a bit of the story planned out so...maybe 20? ono  
> Don't hole me to that! ahaha  
> I want to know you're opinions though, since this is marked at Mature and there will be sex scenes later...who do you think will be on top? Marshall? or Bubba o: Dun dun dun!!! hehe


	8. All by Myself

Bonnie had never really snuck out before, and it wasn't that she was really sneaking out when she was in another country was it? I mean she was nineteen, almost twenty years old; she could take care of herself. That didn't help her feel safer though as she walked along the streets towards the apartment complex that she had gotten directions to.

To keep her mind preoccupied, she texted Marceline and told her how far away she was, it helping knowing that someone knew where she was and talking to Marceline had always been fun. That's why they had planned this little trip, and why she had taken advantage of her brother's stress to suggest a vacation. Bonnie heaved a sigh as she continued to walk along the road until the apartment complex came into view.

She hadn't originally planned to sneak out of their hotel; that was just how things ended up when her mind was buzzing with thoughts about how soon they were leaving. She just wanted to spend as much time with her lover as possible before she had to leave and she also had a plan. There was a slim chance the plan was going to work, but she was going to talk to Marceline about it anyway, and take her chances.

When she reached the apartment and made her way up to their floor and to their hallway, she saw Marcy leaning against the door to her and her brother's apartment.

"Marcy, hey..." She whispered the girl's name as she approached before she jogged forward a bit to hug her tightly. She smiled and nuzzled in close to the girl's warmth as they embraced outside of the room.

"Hey Bonnie, I hope the walk wasn't too terrifying for you. You know there're vampires in Toronto, right?" Marceline teased her girlfriend softly before leaning down to kiss her lips softly. Bonnie promptly turned pink but returned the quick kiss.

"T-there are no such things as vampires Marceline, stop teasing me. For your information, it was a bit scary." She pulled away and pouted at her lover only to have her hair ruffled and messed up. It was still a bit embarassing to kiss and hug each other, since they had only Skyped before, but it felt amazing at the same time.

Both girls quietly moved into the apartment and Bonnie quickly went about making them some tea to drink as she revealed her plan to the other girl. They would somehow make this work, because she couldn't bear leaving her after such a short amount of time.

____________________

 

It was the steady murmuring that slowly woke him up in the middle of the night. Marshall groaned softly and rolled onto his stomach before he got up onto his elbows and looked at the clock. It was two o'clock in the fucking morning, who the shit was in his living room this early?!

Marshall crawled out of bed before grabbing a loose black tanktop to help cover up more than just what his black and red plaid boxers were hiding.

His footsteps echoed down the short hallway as he rubbed his messed up hair and yawned widely. The voices slowly stopped as he approached and took in the scene before him.

Girls, tea, laptop, tea, Bonnie, Marceline - this was essentially his thought process as he looked them over. He heaved another yawn and made his way to the fridge as he finally spoke.

"So why the hell are you over at two in the morning? Too impatient to wait until the sun actually rose?" He was being a little bitter, but he had good reason. Marshall absolutely HATED being awoken early, and it was two in the freaking morning. He took out the milk and poored a cup before eying both of the girls expectantly.

"Ahh Marshall, um I came over to discuss some-"

"Get a life and go back to bed Marshall, this doesn't concern you." Marceline stepped in and glared a bit at her older brother. What?

"Alright, people in my house at two in the morning concern me. Come on, what's up Marcy?" He was trying to be relaxed, but he was a little ticked off.

Bonnie seemed a little lost for words at the situation but Marceline huffed and looked at her, as if asking permission.

"Fine, you know that 'girlfriend' I always talk to on my phone?" Marshall nodded and slowly his gaze slid over to Bonnie.

"Oh..... Ohhhhhh."

"Yeah, Bonnibel and I have been dating for five months now..." Marceline rolled her eyes at her brother as he stared at them.

"Damn, sis, way to keep secrets. Five months? Well congrats I guess, then." He paused and took a drink of milk before looking at them again. "So, that still doesn't explain the two in the morning part." He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

Bonnie seemed pleasantly surprised that Marshall was so okay with it, so she quietly cleared her throat and looked at him.

"As you may or may not know, Bubba and I will be leaving for San Diego tomorrow... This is our last day and I wanted to spend some quality time with Marceline but... I'm also here to discuss bringing her back with me." She pursed her lips and kept strong eye contact with Marshall.

Well shit.

He hadn't even thought about the fact that the twins might be leaving soon. Bubba was going to go away, and they wanted to take Marceline with them? Marshall bit his bottom lip and blinked at her. "You're leaving tomorrow? Fuck." He cursed quietly and silently set his glass of milk down on the counter.

This sinking feeling in his chest, it felt like someone was tugging downwards on his entire ribcage. He'd never felt anything like it and the silence permeated the room quietly as he thought to himself.

"Marsh? You okay?"

He blinked and faked a lazy grin at his sister. "Yeah, I'm cool, how are you going to pay for your plane ticket? I can't foot the bill Marcy..." He looked at her, feeling that dreadful ominous feeling lingering in his chest.

"I was planning to help pay for the expenses." Bonnie spoke up and turned the laptop to face him, showing plane ticket prices to San Diego. Marshall stared before looking at the pink-haired girl.

"Does Bubba know about this 'kidnap Marceline' plan? Marcy, what are you going to do about work? How long are you staying? This is way too soon to decide..." He looked at them as calmly as he could. How could he just let his little sister go to San Diego by herself?

"Marshall, calm down. I'm nineteen; I'm an adult and I can take care of myself. I'll send a temporary leave notice into work and you can cover for me. Its not like I'm permanently moving in with Bonnie... I'll probably stay for a few weeks, maybe two?" She shrugged and Marshall had to pinch the bridge of his nose in frustration for a moment.

"Okay. If by some miracle this all works out... Where will you be staying?"

"At Bonnie and Bubba's house."

"Right..."

It was slightly mind boggling but eventually Marshall agreed, but only if it was okay with Bubba and Marceline had to call the twins' parents first. He then quickly trudged back to his own bedroom and shut the door before falling face first into his bed.

...

That feeling, it wouldn't go away. He tossed and turned in his bed before laying on his back with his arm draped haphazardly over his eyes. This feeling...it ached and clawed at his chest cavity as he laid there. What was up? He wasn't hungry, so that couldn't be it. Could this honestly be heartburn, at his age? No no, he was overthinking all of it. Marshall huffed and slid his hand up his chest to hold onto the place over his heart.

Loneliness.

The word came to his mind before he let out a breathlessly startled laugh at the silly idea. Really? Was he feeling lonely over the fact that his sister had someone to be with and he didn't? Or was it the fact that those people were taking away his sister as well...his only companion.

Marshall rolled over onto his side and curled slightly into a ball. He couldn't sort through all these thoughts and feelings so early in the morning. He bit his lip and hugged himself. Bubba was leaving as well. There was no way in hell he was feeling lonely about that. Seriously, he had messed around with countless people, teasing them because they looked cute or they became infatuated with him. Bubba was, just that. Someone he was teasing and messing around with for fun. There was no way in hell he would develop feelings over someone he'd met only a week ago.

Had it really only been a week? It felt like a lot longer, it felt like he'd been hanging out with Bubba for months now, everything was so natural.

The dark-haired man sighed heavily before covering his face with a pillow. No more thinking, he needed sleep. Sleep was good, sleep was dark and comfortable and...lonely. Shit.  
__________________________________________________________________________________

By the time his alarm clock went off, Marshall had been able to do fuck-all but lay there and try not to think about things. He might have drifted off to sleep a few times, but needless to say he had failed epically to go back to sleep solidly.

He reached work a little bit late and people seemed to avoid him on the streets a bit. He was scowling like crazy, his hair was still a mess, and he basically looked like shit. Today was going to really really suck. Marceline had called their friend Fionna and asked her to cover for her shift so that she could spend the day with her girlfriend. So while Fionna opened up the shop and set up the table, Marshall slumped on the stool behind the counter and lightly thumped his forehead against the counter.-

"Fuck....fuck....fuck....fuck..." He repeated the word over and over as he kept hitting his head. He would probably have a nasty bruise on his forehead by tomorrow if he kept it up.

Fionna made her way over and slid her hand underneath her friend's head before he could bring it back down on the hard counter. Marshall was slightly annoyed as his hand came down on soft flesh instead of the hard counter.

"Any reason you're hitting your head on the counter?"

"Yes, so you should please let me continue." He grumbled back and attempted to move the teenager's hand away from the counter spot.

"No, that will scramble your brains and make them all kinds of funky. Plus your forehead is already really red there." Marshall sat up and looked, well more glared, at Fionna. He looked in the warped reflection of himself on the coffee machine and he did indeed have a red mark on his pale forehead.

"Damn..."

"Yeah dude." He heard the scraping of chairs as she pulled up a stool and hopped up to sit next to him.

"Oh ho ho, pulling up a chair next to me. Is this like a date Fi?" He joked around with her but it sounded so...dull. He didn't have his usual joking upbeat annoying tone. It was obvious by the frown on her face that she had noticed the off tone.

"Dude, Marshall talk to me. What's bothering you? Even your lame hitting on me is really lacking today." She did look really concerned.

"Awh is Fionna worried about me? I'm fine." He chuckled dryly and looked away before his smile faded away. "Just tired and...thinking...about stuff." He pursed his lips stubbornly. Nope, he was a safe. No getting past these locked lips. Unless it was Bubba that wanted to get his tongue past them. Oh damn...he was so hopeless.

Mashall promptly turned and slammed his head back down onto the counter. Maybe a little harder than before since it made a seriously loud thunk.

"Ow."

"Jeeze, that was a little harsh, Marshall Lee. How can you tell me nothing is wrong when you do that? Look I'm not so good at this whole 'feeling' thing either, but you look half-dead." She huffed angrily at the male as he turned his head to look at her.

"I think...I'm in love." He was promptly smacked on the back of his head.

"Ow Fionna! I'm being honest here!" He held his arms up protectively as he looked at the defensive girl sitting across from him. She raised an eyebrow but didn't lower her fist.

"Promise you're not just hitting on me? Or being dumb and making some kind of unfunny joke?" She glared at him and he nodded and continued to lean away.

"Yeah I'm attempting to be serious for once and you fucking hit me!" He glared and rubbed the back of his head softly. Seriously, Fionna could hit extremely hard, even as hard as her friend Finn. He looked over and saw that she seemed to be waiting for him to say something.

"What?"

"So who do you 'think' you're in love with Marshall Lee? Ehehe.." She grinned at him suggestively and he just glared back. He was so freaking tired, why did he have to deal with this kind of interrogation at the moment..?

"Ugh.....well, I said I THINK for a reason, you know. I'm probably just all sorts of stupidly confused right now." He huffed and mumbled the name quietly. Fionna looked on curiously.

"Who?"

"...."

"Marshall I can't hear you when you talk into your hands...No don't rip out your hair! Are you stupid?"

"God damn it Fionna! I'm IN LOVE WITH BUBBA!"

"..."

He had ended up yelling it at her, so he quickly sucked his breath back in and stared at his friend as she blinked at him. Oh god, how did he manage to say that out loud. This was so dumb and not cool at all. He cleared his throat and looked away, trying to regain his composure. Hah, what composure..?

"So...You've developed feelings towards the guy with pink hair. Love feelings, even. Wow." She patted him on the back softly. "I didn't know you had it in you, Marshall." Marshall grunted in response and looked away moodily.

"So...I don't see the problem?" Fionna sounded confused and Marshall sighed as he looked at his reflection in the coffee maker. The problem, it was all still confused in his head as he reflected on the few days he had spent with him.

"I want to tease him more...But he leaves tomorrow. He'll probably never come back, either." He muttered it sullenly, not needing to look at Fionna's face and watch as the realization would dawn on her. He didn't want to see that look of pity she would probably give him; he didn't want to be pitied for something like a little crush on someone. That was just, not cool.

"Oh Marshall I'm sorry...that is.. Well, maybe you should just go tell him? If he doesn't come into the Cafe today then you can just go to wherever the heck he is and tell him how you feel or whatever. Or you could just grab him and kiss him or something...I don't know. I'm bad with this stuff, man." She lightly reached out and bumped his arm with her fist. "Come on, you gotta be tough."

He thought about it and nodded; just grabbing him and kissing him sounded nice. In fact, it sounded really nice. He probably shouldn't like the idea so much. He'd thought that he'd had the upper hand all this time by teasing him so much, oh but he was so wrong. He'd had the rug pulled out from under him by that cute angry flustered expression and the terminal date of the twins departure.

Marshall suddenly sat up straighter and looked towards the front doors.

"You're right. I should go..." He got up to move before the back of his red and black plaid shirt was grabbed and he was pulled back behind the counter by Fionna.

"Oh no you don't Mr. If Marceline already bailed there is no way I'm letting you bail too!" She puffed out her cheeks and glared at him as he struggled.

"Noooo I don't want to work! Lemme go, lemme go! Fi, come on, thats so mean! You're the one that told me to go tell him!" He struggled and tried to get away from her strong grasp.

"Nope! I meant after work, you nugget brain!" He was promptly thrown back behind the counter where he was forced to work for the rest of their shift. He was tired, slightly anxious, and his forehead was definitely bruised. At least working gave him an excuse to think about how he was going to talk to Bubba. He went through every scenario and half-hoped that the male would show up at the Cafe, but to no avail. The Cafe remained Pink person-less.

When their shift finally ended in the evening, Marshall felt that he couldn't pack up soon enough. He shouted a quick good-bye to Fionna before he was dashing down the street towards the transit system. He had to text Marceline to ask for the hotel the Twins were staying at, and after ignoring her sarcastic comment he got on the right line to head towards the hotel stop.


	9. One More Day

Bubba had awoken sometime in the late morning to an empty hotel room. His dreams had been restless and as a result he didn't feel like he had slept at all. What was worse was that Bonnie was just gone; he couldn't find a note or anything anywhere in the apartment. That's when he started to worry.

Of course his immediate response was to spam her phone with text messages asking where she was and if she was okay. The only response he got was something along the lines of, 'I can take care of myself, stop worrying. I'm hanging out with Marceline.'

While it wasn't the ideal response, it at least let him know that she was with someone - that someone being who his sister was in love with. He drew a hand over his face as he tried to process what he had been told last night by his sister. It had never occurred to him that she could be into girls, or both genders? Plus, to be in love with someone after such a short amount of time? It seemed illogical and he couldn't help but feel that he wasn't being told everything that there was to know.

Then there was the issue of Marshall Lee.

Nope, no. He was not going there right now, it was still too early and his brain was already running laps in a confusing race.

It was essentially his last day in Toronto, and he had spent the entire day in his hotel room. He'd gotten out of bed to take a shower and then got dressed and curled up in the arm chair with a book on the new scientific advancements of the 21st century. He had opted for pink sweatpants and a loose white t-shirt that had a gold crown decal on it. It was just a day meant for comfort and a nice book to read.

Except that he felt he was wasting the day. His last day in Canada. His last day of vacation.

...His last day with Marshall.

He snapped his book shut and huffed out his breath with a scowl. His eyebrows furrowed as he looked at the cover of his book. He had been reading the same paragraph over and over because his mind kept wandering. It was entirely frustrating.

"Honestly, Bubba, pull yourself together. Can't even manage to read a damn book." He slid the book onto the small hotel room table before pushing himself out of the chair. His feet padded across to the bathroom before he looked at himself in the mirror. Why was he so obsessed, over someone he had met randomly on vacation. In fact, someone that had made him incredibly mad on more than one occasion. Marshall was the free-spirited, annoying kind of guy that he usually did his best to avoid!

He stared at himself before turning on the faucet and splashing his face several times with cool water. His hands braced themselves on the sides of the sink as he stared down at the drain and watched the water swirl down it. He blinked to clear water droplets from his eyes and eyelashes.

Bubba was aggravated, and he had no idea why. Nothing made sense to him right now, except for the fact that he wanted to see Marshall, or that he was always thinking about Marshall. Was there some kind of illness that he could have? Attachment to a particular person when in a strange place? Was that even diagnosable?

His phone went off in the next room and he stood up before grabbing a towel and burying his face in it. He stayed like that for a bit before he heard the cellular device buzz again. The towel was slipped through the rack neatly before he went over and picked up his phone from the table. He had two new text messages from Bonnie.

'Hey, I have something to ask you when I get back. I will be back at the hotel around 7pm, so stop freaking out like I know you do.'

Bubba snorted in mild amusement before moving on to the next text message. Oh he was freaking out, just not about what she assumed.

'Marceline is coming too.'

He slid his phone closed and looked over at the clock on top of the bed-side table. It was almost five in the afternoon, so he had two more hours to kill time and be completely tormented by his own thoughts. Bubba heaved a sigh and drew a hand over his face.

"Marshall Lee, you are ever annoying when you're not in front of me. Please leave my personal thoughts alone..." He felt awkward after saying that out loud. Great, he was talking to himself now. Maybe staying in the hotel all day had actually been a BAD idea. He needed to at least head down to the lobby or something; he felt like getting out of his hotel room would be good at this point.

Bubba grabbed a pair of sandals and his room key before he headed to the door. As he neared it though he heard a knock on the door that made him pause. Who would come knock on their door? He felt his heart pick up speed for unknown reasons before he slowly opened the door.

...

A lady with a nice smile and a large bin with sheets and cleaning supplies looked at him expectantly as she peered past him into the room. He felt immense disappointment; he had expected...someone else. He had wanted someone to be at his door. He had wanted Marshall to be at his door...

"Would you like your room cleaned or should I skip you today?" Bubba blinked and re-focused on the situation at hand before he shook his head. "No, not today...Thank you though." He forced a polite smile for her sake before silently closing the door.

He held his palms flat against the door as he closed his eyes and rested his forehead against the painted wood. His heart slowly calmed down as he took deep steady breaths. This feeling was complicated but he knew at least one thing clearly now: He wanted to see Marshall. He really wanted to see Marshall. He couldn't explain why or how but he did want to see him, badly.

Yet another knock on the door startled him and he yanked himself away from the door before huffing angrily and opening it.

"No, I don't want the room to be cleaned today. I am in here and-"

"Bubba?"

Bubba paused with his mouth half open as he stared into Marshall Lee's confused and slightly amused eyes. Of course Marshall was just casually standing there in all of his pale dark-haired glory. Of course he just randomly showed up after those thoughts.

...Well fuck...

They stared at each other for awhile before Marshall quirked an eyebrow and slowly opened his mouth to speak. Bubba was honestly more focused on the movement of his lips rather than what he was actually saying though.

"So...Hey. I just decided to drop by, you looked really fucking shocked though man. Haha, you sure you're okay?"

Without really thinking, Bubba just reached out and grabbed the collar of Marshall's shirt. He really wished, that he could claim he did this in a more graceful way but that would be lying.

With a harsh tug he practically yanked Marshall into the hotel room before pressing him up against the wall just inside the door. He leaned down and claimed those pale lips faster than the door could emit a small click as it shut. Bubba was far from rational thought as one of his hands found its way into Marshalls hair and tugged him deeper into their kissing. He really didn't care if Marshall was trying to protest, all he wanted to do was kiss him. Kiss him until they were gasping for breath and their lips were sore and bruised.

Miraculously, Marshall was kissing him back and that was all the permission Bubba needed to part those tantalizing lips and slip his tongue between them. It was just like his dream. No, it was better than his dream because it was real, and as their tongues tangled and moved against each other he really didn't want to be anywhere else.

\-----------------------------------------------

Holy fucking shit.

HOLY FUCKING SHIT.

That was the extent of Marshall's thought process as he was literally yanked into the room and attacked by Bubba. He had meant to have a somewhat calm conversation about this to express maybe how he felt, since that seemed more like Bubba's style.

But this?!?! This was fucking awesome and he was NOT complaining as he was pinned to the wall and kissed like it was their last day alive. His hands found their way onto Bubba's hips before he leaned up into the taller man's kiss and let him part his lips.

Let's be honest here, this was way more his style than anything else and he was surprised that Bubba would even do something like this. Seriously though...

Holy fucking shit, this was amazing. Better than he had imagined, a bit rougher and he was definitely the one being pinned but he was okay with that too. Bubba had always seemed so prissy in the week he had known him but he was a beast when he was kissing.

Eventually his lungs started to burn for oxygen and they both pulled away to pant and gasp for air. Marshall calmly leaned his forehead against Bubba's shoulder as he filled his lungs with the much needed oxygen. He slowly chuckled as the irony of the situation hit him.

"Fuck..." Marshall blinked in surprise as he heard Bubba curse for probably the first time since he'd met him.

"Oh? Isn't that moving a little bit quickly? I mean that was our first kiss and all..." Marshall leaned his head back against the wall and looked at Bubba as the male's cheeks flushed pink. He was met with a half glare, though.

"Thats not what I meant, you ass...I'm just...Sorry, I really don't know what came over me. That was extremely sudden." Bubba seemed shocked by his own actions but Marshall kept a firm grip on his hips to keep him close as he tried to pull away.

"I'm not complaining...Not at all. I'm actually pleasantly surprised." Marshall smirked teasingly before he leaned up to nip teasingly at Bubba's jaw. As he pulled away, though, Bubba seemed entirely too shocked and Marshall heaved a sigh before he let his hips go. Instead he grabbed the pink-haired male's arm and tugged him over towards the bed before sitting down on it.

"Look Bubba, I came over here for a reason and you sure as hell distracted me from it but I think we may be moving in the same direction. Unless you're just really horny right now and would have taken advantage of anyone?" Bubba gave him an angry look as he sat down on the bed next to Marshall. He didn't miss the fact that Bubba kept at least a foot of space between them.

"Is this really the time to be making jokes, Marshall?" He laughed at that and grinned slyly.

"My dear Bubba, it is always the time to make jokes. Besides, you look too serious." Marshall smirked slyly and reached out to try and pull Bubba's cheek up to make him smile somewhat. His hand was promptly swatted away and he laughed.

"Would you stop teasing me and be serious for once?" Marshall shrugged and leaned forward to look at him.

"Stop teasing you? Never...I'm just happy 'cause I got to kiss you. See, I came over here to proclaim my undying love or some bullshit like that but now I don't have to." He grinned wider as he watched Bubba turn a million shades of pink and red as he looked away. He reached out calmly before he put a hand to Bubba's cheeks to tilt his head back towards him. Marshall leaned forward and claimed his lips again in a softer kiss this time.

He could tell that Bubba was more shocked this time at not being the one initiating the kiss, so he just let their lips move softly together until he felt him relax more. Eventually they both flopped backwards onto the bed to continue their kissing in a different way.

Really they probably kissed for hours, but it only felt like moments to Marshall. Moments he wanted to live in and never forget. They ended up laying on the bed wrapped up in each other and breathing quietly as they stared at each other. Marshall had one of his hand clasped in Bubba's and their legs were tangled pretty severely. It had slowly become dark out as they just looked at each other before Bubba decided to speak.

"So...what does this all mean? What do we do now?" Marshall raised an eyebrow and snickered before he leaned forward to lick Bubba's lips teasingly.

"What do you mean? After kissing? Cause if you want to take it to the next step I'm not opposed...Ow! Haha.." He laughed after Bubba smacked his side and flushed.

"Thats not what I meant and you know it!" Marshall smirked as he watched Bubba get embarrassed and look away. He noticed that Bubba's pink hair hadn't been styled at all and it fell in his eyes slightly. It was really cute. Plus, it was completely messed up after Marshall had run his hands through it countless times while they had kissed.

"Right...well. What is there to do about it?" He looked down slightly and smoothed his hand over the male's arms and caressed up and down from Bubba's shoulder down to his wrist. "I mean, Bonnie told me that you guys are leaving tomorrow so...This is our last day huh?" He forced a small smile at Bubba but it wasn't returned. Bubba simply looked down and mumbled a response.

"I suppose so..." He trailed off and Marshall let the comfortable silence envelop them for awhile. "This is crazy...I only met you a week ago. Something is wrong with us." Bubba muttered it in disbelief.

"Why do you say that? What's wrong with falling for someone quickly?"

"It's irrational. I barely know anything about you and yet we just spent several hours making out!"

Marshall snorted in amusement before he just gave the male a look.

"Really? Is this where I'm supposed to say 'then we'll slowly get to know each other!' or something? Come on Bubs...can't you just accept something when it happens? Unless you regret making out with me for the past few hours?" Marshall asked it teasingly but...his gut clenched slightly at the thought. What if Bubba was only using him, and he didn't feel anything at all?

"...No I don't regret it. I've just been confused and thinking about you all day. It's just really sudden." He paused and finally looked up to meet Marshall's gaze. "I mean, it's just hard to comprehend that you weren't just teasing me all this time just to be an ass."

"Pffft hahaha I was..I didn't realize until early this morning that I wanted you. Even if I hadn't started feeling like this then I still would have teased you...you're really easy to tease." He grinned at Bubba and trailed his hand down to slip his hand up underneath Bubba's shirt and pinch his side. "You make cute faces when you're embarrassed."

"I-I do not! Stop!" Bubba attempted to bat at the hand under his shirt but he only had one hand to use since Marshall was keeping a strong grip on his other one. He squirmed slightly at the touch.

"Oh? Bubba are you ticklish?" Marshall grinned cruelly at the thought before he pounced on the other male. His hands slipped up his shirt and his fingers quickly began dancing along the male's sides. He watched in amusement as Bubba started laughing and squirming around underneath him. He continued to tickle him mercilessly.

"M-Marshall stop! hahahah I AM! Gahh So not...STOP!! HAHAA Marshall I M-Mean haha it! Fuck Marshall I'm so serious r-right hahaha now! Stop it!"

"You don't seem very serious." Marshall chuckled and continued to tickle the male. "Tell me you like me!" He grinned.

"Hahahaha!! N-No! Screw you Marshall Haha Lee!" Bubba attempted to swat and pulls at the hands before the tickling got worse and he just started trying to get away.

"Gotta say it Bubba. Come on, it's not that hard. I'm not asking you to tell me you want my dick." Marshall smirked and moved one hand to tickle up Bubba's spine which cause the male to practically shriek and arch with laughter.

"F-Fine!! HAHAHA FUCK! hahaha I like y-you! You prick! Hahaha!" Marshall nodded and slowly stilled his hands on Bubba's sides as he watched the flushed and panting male beneath him. He leaned down and kissed his cheek before sitting back up, practically straddling Bubba.

"I like you too Bubba." Marshall watched as Bubba turned pink again and looked away from him.

"You're embarrassing Marshall, get off me." Bubba just reached up to grab Marshall's arm before he pushed him sideways so that he would get off of him. Marshall hit the mattress sideways and started laughing himself before he sat up and attempted to fix his own hair.

"Why are you embarrassed Bubba?" He chuckled and leaned towards him before they both heard the door open with a click. Bubba straightened up suddenly and looked at the clock with wide eyes, Marshall just sat there and raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Uh oh..."

The dark-haired male looked over as Bonnie and Marcey walked in from the entryway and paused to stare at both of them. He knew what they would see, messed up bedspread, both of them out of breath with ruffled hair, sitting on the bed together. Yep, it was plain on their faces.

"Wait this isn't what it looks like-" Bubba started to say before Marshall couldn't help but crack up with more laughter as he laid back on the bed casually.

"Really Marshall? Really?" Bubba looked angry with him for laughing at the situation but he just shrugged and continued to grin cheekily.

"Marshall...oh my god you're hopeless." Marceline chimed in as she went to put a few things down on the table before both girls exchanged a look. Marshall raised an eyebrow at them as they both crossed their arms and looked at them. He turned his head to catch Bubba's eye before Bubba glared at him and reached out to promptly cover Marshall's mouth with his hand.

"Mhphn!!" He couldn't help but start laughing as Bubba kept him from talking and instead spoke for both of them.

"Come on, don't give us those looks nothing really happened. Marshall is just being a little twit." Marshall promptly met Bubba's eyes and just licked his hand. The girls weren't having it though so they ended up having to explain what would happen before they were both released from the death glares. Marshall was grinning through, even as Marceline hit him on the head for 'being an idiot'. He didn't care, he was happy.


	10. I'll Stay with You

The girls eventually sat down in chairs. Technically, they both moved to the same chair and Bonnie lightly placed herself upon Marceline's lap. Bubba and Marshall remained awkwardly comfortable sitting side-by-side on the bed.

"So, did you get everything sorted?" His grin was wicked as Marshall eyed his sister and her girlfriend; he doubted they had everything all put together, but why not give them the benefit of the doubt?

Marceline simply nodded to her brother before glancing over at the female twin. Her male counterpart looked between Marshall and the two girls in a confused stupor.

"Wait, get what sorted? Whats going on?"

Marshall seemed to glow with the prospect of new a new teasing opportunity as he leaned slightly against Bubba and eyed the two girls snarkily.

"Oh yes...Marcy, Bonnie, why don't you tell Bubba about your amazing plan? That was one of my conditions." Poor Bubba looked so confused as he turned his gaze onto his sister and her supposed lover. Marshall turned to Bubba and grinned.

"Did they also tell you that they've been dating for...how many months now? Three? Oh, no, wait..it's five isn't it..?" Oh, it was so worth it. Just to watch Bubba's mouth drop open in complete shock as he turned to stare at his sister and her companion. Marshall was completely entertained as he watched the development and Bubba simply stammered in place.

"W-wha....? Wait, I don't....Huh? Bonnie?" He turned completely to his twin and stared at her while Marshall just smirked at Marceline.

"Well...it's true. Marcy and I met on the Internet a while back and we got to know each other really well, so we started dating and...that's...actually why I asked if we could go to Toronto..." Sweet revenge for being woken up at fucking two in the morning! Marshall was enjoying every single moment of this and he couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the two girls shift slightly where they sat with each other.

"Yep...I found out this morning. At two in the morning..." He shot a vengeful look at his little sister, who returned it with a growl.

"Marshall Lee, are you seriously doing this just because you got your sorry ass woken up early?" She huffed in annoyance and Marshall shrugged nonchalantly as he laid back on the bed with his eyes closed, sighing in contentment.

"Dunno. Maybe you shouldn't wake me up so early next time..." He chuckled before letting out a sharp breath as something hard connected with his shin. "FUCK!" He sat up and stared at the room service binder that had been lethally thrown into his shin. "That is so fucking uncool, Marcy! What the hell.." He grumbled and reached down to rub at his shin.

He jumped slightly as he felt a large hand rub his back, his spine straightened before he looked curiously towards Bubba. The pink-haired male in question promptly flushed a dark red and awkwardly removed his hand.

"S-sorry..."

"It's fine, Gumball." He chuckled at the use of the nickname he had come up with and ignored the look he was given in return to the name. His body language was still a bit awkward though...it seemed neither of them had any idea of how to act around each other now.

"Really?...what the fuck is wrong with you two?" Marceline chimed in and stared at them before Marshall smirked at his sister and clicked his tongue in a disapproving manner.

"Oh no no, we're not talking about this messed up side of the room. We are very much so talking about you two. Quit avoiding informing Bubba of your plans. If you're leaving tomorrow then he probably needs to know now. Don't you think?" Marshall quirked an eyebrow at the two girls. Whether or not he acted childishly, Marshall still had some mature thoughts.

Bonnie huffed before clearing her throat to speak up.

"I will say it then. I have asked Marceline to come home with us for a few weeks because I was distraught over the prospect of leaving her. We were looking at plane tickets this morning and we compared prices for her flight and everything..Marshall said it was okay as long as she got approval from you. The only problem we have now is finding a plane ticket that isn't too expensive since this is late notice."

"Bingo... and I already mentioned that I am NOT footing the bill."

"Which is kind of a douchey thing to say." Marshall just raised an eyebrow at his sister and stuck his tongue out.

"Bite me, little sis."

"Honestly, will you two stop bickering for five minutes?" Bubba chimed in with what sounded like frustration coating his voice and Marshall pouted but complied. He stuck his tongue out at Bubba as well before chuckling.

"You can bite me too...just in a different way."

"Marshall, honestly!" He was on the floor a moment later after having been pushed off the bed by a both frustrated and embarrassed Bubba. With a snort of amusement he rolled his eyes and crossed his arms indignantly. It was as if everyone was against him today.

"I'm offended...pushing me off the bed; how rude." His acting was fairly good but he was basically being ignored at this point. "You guys are all way too serious..." After that he decided to just shut up and let them do what they wanted. However, Bubba promptly got up and started pacing. At least he had the courtesy to step over Marshall's legs whenever he walked over him.

"So...you just want to take her with us? Bonnie, what about her job? And our parents...did you think about calling them?"

"Well I was...planning to call them after I got approval from you. Oh, come on Bubba! You know they trust you and practically fall at your feet! If you said it was okay first then they'd be more willing, correct?" She looked so hopeful and trusting, but Marshall had a feeling it wasn't settling well with Bubba.

He had noticed several things about the male in the short time they had gotten to hang out. The first one was his amazing ass, which was currently at perfect eye level as he paced in front of him.

Wait, no, he was getting totally distracted. That wasn't what he had noticed. Bubba had a tendency to be a bit....okay VERY uptight about things. If he had even responded a bit negatively then it seemed almost impossible that Bubba would agree.

Honestly he had forgotten the other things he had observed; seriously, if Bubba walked by one more time with that pink sweatpant-clad ass he was going to lose it. Luckily for the sake of both his sanity and Bubba's dignity, Marshall caught Marcelline's eyes. He was useless against her puppy-dog eyes, because come on...she WAS his little sister.

He heaved a sigh as she looked at him pleadingly for help....well, shit.

"Bubba, come talk with me for a second?" He pushed himself up to his feet before he met the male's eyes and nodded towards the hallway door. Bubba seemed confused as he just stared at him.

"Now, Marshall? Really?" Marshall's expression fell and he just grabbed his arm. Obviously Bubba's mind was either in the gutter or he thought he wanted to have a different sort of private conversation. Typical.

"No you pink fool, not that, you thinking with the wrong head? Just get your pink ass out here." He practically dragged Bubba out into the hallway before he let the door click shut slowly. The fact that they didn't have a key-card on them didn't really register in his brain yet as he turned to lean against the door and face Bubba.

"Alright Gumball, listen up. They seem fairly attached at the hip if you ask me...what are you thinking? You seem to be thinking a lot. Too much in fact..you think way too much." He smirked, but it was obvious that he was serious. Bubba just blinked before sighing.

"Look, its just...complicated and pricey. Plus she would have to pack tonight. Also, her job? If Marceline quit her job that would be frustrating and not good for when she came back correct? I mean-"

"Calm down...I can file a temporary leave application for her. We hardly ever take vacations and I'll just have to stop slacking and get some serious hours in for the both of us. It will be un-paid but that's just gonna happen..." He crossed his arms and waited for Bubba to speak again calmly.

"Yes, but...the cost. I mean we're not exactly poor but I can't see my parents being happy about that."

"Then let Bonnie and Marceline figure out how to pay for it. That's not your responsibility..."

Marshall watched as Bubba turned to pace a bit more as he thought out all of his worries and the complications of the plan. He was unsure why he was helping his sister so much...after all, if it worked out they would all leave tomorrow and he would be left alone in Toronto. It hurt a bit to think about but whatever...he would just keep himself occupied, not think about it, and eventually get over it.

He was pulled from the depths of his thoughts as Bubba reached out and touched his cheek.

"What about you?" Marshall blinked and stared at him a bit wide-eyed for a moment before just playing dumb and tilting his head.

"Huh? What about me?" He chuckled half-heartedly.

"Won't you...I don't know, it feels like we're all just leaving you." Marshall shrugged and looked to the side with a forced lazy grin.

"Whatever. If Marcy wants to go I'm not her legal guardian so I can't make her stay. Besides, adventuring into the world would be good for her...I don't think she's ever seen the ocean before."

Marshall looked over at Bubba and calmly shrugged off the hand that was on his cheek. He watched as Bubba's eyes seemed to light up with an idea after a moment. One of his eyebrows raised as he unfolded his arms and looked at him.

"What? Why do you suddenly look so excited? You better not be imagining me naked." His face was promptly shoved away as Marshall laughed to try and lighten the mood.

"You wish...but, it's better than that." Bubba took the dark-haired male's shoulders and calmly moved him aside before trying the door. He stared at the hotel door for a moment before cursing. "We forgot a keycard..."

"Just knock Bubs, seriously, why would they keep us locked out?" Marshall reached out and rapped his knuckles on the door before waiting. There seemed to be shuffling before the door was opened by Bonnie.

"Oh hey....are you guys done 'talking'?" She bent her fingers in the air to put air quotes around the the word talking. Bubba just rolled his eyes and pushed the door open.

"Yes, we are done talking, now do you want your...girlfriend...to come with us or not?" He watched as Bonnie's eyes lit up and she nodded. Bubba pushed past her into the room with Marshall right behind. Marshall promptly just went and sprawled out on one of the beds, he was already tired from having gotten little to no sleep. Plus he felt just a tad vulnerable from the earlier transparency that Bubba had picked up on. Lame...he had seen right through him.

"So...whats the verdict your royal pink highness?" Marceline gave the pink male a sarcastic look, but Marshall quickly shot her a look that had her pursing her lips and looking away. He had just argued for her sake. No way was she going to sass the man that he had just buttered up for her. Figuratively speaking, of course. Although, butter....his mind promptly went off on a tangent.

"Alright, well I think the best way to do this is to give Marceline my ticket and while she's at our home I'll stay here with Marshall."

What.

Marshall looked up and stared at Bubba as he looked from the girls to the pink-haired mans expression. Marceline and Bonnie had similarly shocked expressions.

"What?"

"What?"

"Say what?"

Bubba just blinked back at all of them and raised an eyebrow. "What? Why do you all look like I just told you I'm actually a girl?"

"Wait....are you?"

"No, Marshall. I'm not a girl. Seriously, stay on topic. It saves money and it makes sense." He cleared his throat and Marshall could see him fighting blush. "Besides I wouldn't mind staying another week or two with Marshall. That is if it's okay with you?" Marshall blinked as all eyes turned to him.

He wanted to accept, oh he so wanted to accept. It was perfect, almost, and he felt his heart jump and act all dumb and fluttery in his chest.

"Well, yeah that's....fine but..don't you have a job or something back home?" He looked at Bubba in confusion.

"I mostly just present research ideas at this point and I could do that with a computer and wifi from anywhere. So I don't really have to be home. Besides..just a few more weeks! Marceline gets to go with Bonnie and I get a longer vacation." He shrugged nonchalantly and Marshall could only stare for a bit.

"Wow, you're serious...that's..." He blinked and rubbed the back of his neck. That was basically moving in together after the first time they had kissed. It was a bit...sudden and unexpected and he wasn't sure how to react.

"Holy shit. You actually made him blush for once in his life." Marceline chimed in as he hugged Bonnie happily. They had both been quietly celebrating and grinning at each other at the prospect. Marshall Lee promptly glared at his sister and flipped her off as she stuck out her tongue.

"I'm not blushing, you twit! I'm just...ugh fine, whatever! Sounds good to me!" He threw his arms up in the air before getting up and heading towards the door. "I'm heading home if we have everything figured out then. I'm not helping you pack, Marcy, so you better get your ass in gear." He threw the comment over his shoulder before shrugging and exiting.

It wasn't that he was unhappy, he was just, confused and blushing. Flustered was an adequate word that described him as he popped the collar on his red flannel shirt while striding down the hallway. He'd never lived with another guy before. It had always just been himself and Marceline, so...what happens when she was replaced with someone he really likes..?

"Marshall!"

Oh god...he debated running down to the elevator and making a quick escape, but whatever, that would just be even worse. Marshall slowed down a bit as he heard the footsteps running up behind him. He looked over his shoulder at the pink-haired man running after him.

"What? I promise I didn't steal your key card or anything...deep breaths, Bubba." He watched Bubba pant before there was suddenly a lot of pink in his face and a lot of tongue in his mouth. Holy shit, Bubba needed to stop doing that to him; surprise make-outs in the hallway were a sure way to instigate a heart attack. He could die from this.

He definitely enjoyed it though, and his hands found their way to Bubba's shirt collar as his back bumped a wall and he leaned into the kiss eagerly. Bubba just tasted so sweet to him..it was addictive in the best of ways.

His breath was a tad shallow as Bubba pulled away from his mouth. He eyed the male with a slight glare.

"Seriously Gumball, you gotta stop doing that to me. That kind of shock can not be good for my delicate little heart..." He snorted in amusement as Bubba just rolled his eyes. "Plus, I was on my way hom-Mhpn!" Fucking hell, he couldn't even get a sentence in without being macked on!

Bubba pulled away again and just reached up to cover Marshall's mouth with a chuckle as it looked like he was about to talk again. Marshall noted the dusting of pink on the males cheeks and felt somewhat satisfied. Still, he was the one pinned to a wall.

"Marshall..shut up for a second..." The pink-tint increased as Bubba looked at him and opened his mouth to speak. Oh no...

"Marshall...will you go out with me?" Well fuck..yeah, that whole plan he made with Fionna, be cool and steal his heart kind of shit? Well he could just say goodbye and toss that plan over his shoulder like a fucking bouquet at a wedding. Marshall just blinked and did his best to stop the act of his cheeks getting hot.

He was practically pinned against a wall, and Bubba was leaning over him and asking that all of a sudden. It was really sudden and he just...wanted to play it cool and head home. He was failing miserably at both of those things.

"Err....yeah sure Bubba. Why not...." Oh god he sounded so awkward as he looked to the side. He closed his eyes and pulled himself together before he met the males eyes and grinned. "So forward, Bubba, I thought you were more of the submissive, cutely confused type..." Even if Bubba's cheeks did redden considerably, the response was anything but what Marshall expected.

"You don't know anything about what type I am Marshall Lee....do you want to find out?" And fuck if that didn't travel straight down to his pants.

Marshall blinked and managed to compose himself long enough to roll his eyes and calmly push Bubba away so that he could stand up completely.

"As tempting as that sounds, I don't think a public hotel hallway is the right place for any of that." He snorted in amusement before fixing his shirt and his hair and turning to start walking towards the elevator. He waved over his his shoulder and grinned slyly. "Show me later...Okay?" And then he walked into the elevator and casually closed the doors on Bubba's face with a smirk intact.

As soon as the door shut though he let out a deep breath and slumped against the wall. He felt his cheeks turn red almost instantly, and one look in the reflective door was all he needed to confirm his red cheeks.

"Oh my god, he's going to kill me....what the fuck was that..?"

Marshall had no idea what he had gotten himself into, his heart was racing a thousand miles an hour and he felt like there wasn't enough air. Bubba wasn't allowed to suddenly be that sexy and dominant, that was definitely against the rules. Definitely. He was going to fall apart in this relationship he just knew it.


	11. Hand Holding

Marshall stuck true to his words as he traveled home and promptly crashed on his own bed to sleep. He was tired, so sue him for falling asleep before the sun started to set. Yet because of his falling asleep early, he missed all of Marceline's packing adventure and running around the house as she got ready to leave the following morning. He could have probably cared less about her packing, and he sure as hell wasn't going to offer help, but he did want to be there when she left.

Despite his attitude and immaturity he cared about the people around them, he just had a hard time showing it. His sister was important to him, immensely important and he was still wary about letting her go. She was strong though, both in her mind and her body so he worried more for anyone that would try something dumb.

He couldn't have cared less about what she packet though, and as he roused himself in the morning and wandered his way into the bathroom he noticed that her toothbrush and hair things were gone. Most everything was packed and he relieved himself before pulling on a loose T-shirt and going out into the kitchen to see his little sister’s feet poking out from the couch. 

Of course because of force of habit he had arisen at an ungodly time in the morning as the sun barely rose. Marshall calmly walked over to the couch and smiled slightly as he stared at is very much asleep little sister. Her packed suitcase was on the ground, un-zipped near the couch and she was laying there with a half folded shirt in her pale hands.

Marshall briefly considered taking a picture and blackmailing her later, but with a sigh and a small chuckle he gently took the shirt from her hands, finished folding it and placed it into the suitcase. He reached over to gently re-arrange her limbs on the couch to a more comfortable position before tossing a blanket over her. He was allowed to be a kind and caring older brother sometimes...only very rarely though. Plus Marcie's face just looked so cute when she was sleeping like that.

The suit case came next, and he quietly zipped it up before propping it up against the wall where she wouldn't trip or fall on it. 

Now that he had gotten his one act of kindness out of the way for today he could focus on something more important; eating delicious breakfast food.

The kitchen was still fairly well stocked but he would have to go to the store in a few days. Of course it was kind of special since it was their last breakfast together, so he made scrambled eggs and of course bacon. How can anyone have special breakfast without bacon? How could anyone not eat bacon regularly?

Strange people who don't like bacon aside, he quickly cooked up the eggs and bacon in separate pans to perfection. It wasn't long after he had sat down with this own plate that Marceline finally woke from her sleep and wandered into the kitchen. Her long hair was a complete mess and he stifled a laugh as he chewed his eggs and watched her.

"Morning sleeping Nightmare..."he smirked.

"I wouldn't be making jokes when you’re the one that had the urge to care suddenly this morning." She smirked and motioned towards the breakfast and her packed up suitcase.

"Oh no, that wasn’t me. Bonnie dropped by but left since you were asleep." He said it casually as he picked up a piece of bacon and started chewing it. It was amusing to watch her eyes go wide and her mouth drop open in shock at his words.

"S-she did? What?!"

"Pffft wow Marcy..." he couldn't contain his laughter as he doubled over and clutched at his stomach. " You're so gullible when it comes to her!" he grinned wide and kept laughing before water was dumped on his head. He kind of deserved it but it was fucking cold water. A glaring match was promptly started and continued throughout the morning.

Their breakfast and morning proceeded as usual except with the minor changes that Marshall had noticed previously, including her missing bathroom supplies and shoes. Other little things like how she had organized her room so that it would be good enough for someone else to stay in were also present. It felt normal, but it was hard to accept that his little sister was going on a trip far away on her own in less than two hours.

Plus there was the fact that Bubba was staying here....and living with him.

The best thing to do with those complex feeling and thoughts was to NOT think about them. At all. He just locked them up and distracted himself with getting them both out the door and out to the street.

"Are we meeting at their hotel?" he looked at his sister questioningly and she nodded. 

"Just in the Lobby before we are taking the train to the Airport."

"Right...airport, planes and all of the shit." He grumbled it slightly as they walked down to the subway transit system in order to get to the hotel quickly. Luckily it was hardly busy at the first train and they very easily got on.

"Are you sulking about my departure?" Marcy stared at him in slight mockery and disbelief as they sat on the moving train. He scowled before grinning and faking a short laugh.

"Hah! You wish Lil sis, gonna finally get to enjoy some down time. Now I can run around naked and not care."

"Oh I'm sure Bubba would just absolutely love that Marshall Lee."

He flushed and glared at her.

"Okay so no nakedness....well maybe. You should be glad you're going away." He grinned wide and stuck his tongue out at his sister which she promptly returned. They fell back into a comfortable silence and Marceline even fell back asleep, which he discovered when they got to their stop and he had to shake her awake and haul her off the train so that they wouldn't get stuck on it.   
___________

"How much sleep did you even get Marcy?" He poked her in the back as they walked out of the subway and towards the entrance of the hotel. She shrugged and mumbles something that sounded like 'three hours' but he wasn't entirely sure. The subject was dropped though as they moved into the hotel lobby and stood there.

"So...now we wait I guess?" Marshall voiced his question as he slid his hands into his grey jeans and looked around. He was wearing a blue and black plaid button up shirt that almost matched the teal color of his eyes. He enjoyed flannel button up shirts, even if it was the summer.

That was one reason he loved Canada so much. Even though it was the summer it was still cold enough to wear pants and flannel shirts. It was brilliant and perfect.

"Yep...I'll text Bonnie to let her know that we-"

"No need! We are here!" The elevator doors had opened and the dark-haired siblings looked over to see their respective matches striding out of the elevator with their suitcases in tow. It was excellent timing and Marceline rushed over before grinning and tugging Bonnie into a tight hug. Marshall was a bit stunned at the moment.

Bubba was not only wearing a very flattering well fitted shirt, but he was also NOT wearing pink. It was honestly a bit shocking, and he found himself just staring and gaping like a drying up fish as he stared. The non-pink clad male was in fact wearing black jeans that looked comfortably loose as well as a light golden sweater top that slightly draped off of one shoulder. While he was reminded ever so slightly of a bumble bee; it was...shocking to see him in non-pink attire.

He managed to snap his jaw shut right as Bubba walked up to him and tilted his head to the side.

"Something wrong Marshall? You look a little starstruck." Bubba chuckled and crossed his arms as Marshall composed himself and shot a glare at him.

"Ha ha...You wish gumball. I was just surprised that you don't look like pink cotton candy today is all. The bumble bee look really suits you." He made it into a joke but Bubba looked a little bit taken aback as his expression turned sour and he turned to face away.

"My, you are unpleasant this morning. I do not look like a bumble bee." he lifted his chin into the air and crossed his arms before Marshall just chuckled. He opened his mouth to explain but he was promptly interrupted but Bonnie.

"Oh no, you guys can't start fighting now. Otherwise I'll feel bad for making Bubba stay with you." She frowned and held tightly onto Marceline's hand as they both looked at them. Marshall sighed.

"We aren't fighting, and besides I'm not bad to be around! Marcy is just as bad as I am about shit like this.” He pouted slightly and looked at Bubba who shrugged. Good, they needed to get a long, especially since they were technically 'dating' now. It seemed weird to think that word, let alone say it out loud.

"I think this could be described as an argument. Besides we just met up for the day and you're already being rude." Marshall scowled at Bubba’s snobbish words and his mouth opened up, a snappy retort on the tip of his tongue. However he and Bubba were promptly both hit on the head at the same time by Marceline.

"Seriously you two knock it off. Come on Bon, let’s go hail a shuttle for the airport." She grabbed her girlfriends hand firmly but gently, before she led her outside towards the street where they would be able to catch a shuttle to the bus.

They both stood there in a bit of shock as they watched the girl’s talk and move outside without them. Marshall stood there a bit dumbfounded as he rubbed the spot where he was hit. His state was broken when Bubba cleared his throat and looked at him.

"You didn’t even greet me properly, how rude Marshall.”

He raised an eyebrow in confusion.

“Properly? Wait am I supposed to bow down to you now? That’s seems a little” He was cut off as Bubba just rolled his eyes and leaned over to kiss his cheek softly before pulling away. It was super effective in keeping him quiet and he just stood there in slight embarrassment and shock as Bubba had walked over to the counter to confirm the hotel check out.

Marshall felt embarrassed and slightly irritated so he took Bubba's suit case and turned on the heel of his shoe to walk out to where the girls were waiting for the shuttle bus that would take them to the airport. He fumed silently as he stared at the ground. 

He had mostly just had sex based relationships and flings that lasted one night in his life. This whole, ‘lets be romantic’ thing seemed strange to him and incredibly awkward. Of course that didn't mean that he couldn't be suave and get back at Bubba. 

He had started teasing Bubba back when they had first met and felt completely in control of the situation, but now he just felt like he was floundering around in a very un-sexy way.

That would have to change, promptly. This was metaphorical war.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bubba felt like he was blushing a million shades of red as he checked them out of their hotel room. At least he had managed to do it, but it had only happened on a whim and because he wanted to get back at Marshall. He did not look like a bumble bee, besides he needed to do laundry since he had originally only packed a weeks’ worth of clothes! It was not his fault that their plans changed suddenly. 

He'd just kissed him on a whim but at least a glance over his shoulder had confirmed that it had shocked Marshall at least a little bit. This relationship thing was...going to be difficult. Not in a sense that it wouldn't work but, he had spent the night thinking about things, specifically the fact that he may have rushed Marshall into it. 

His thoughts had caused him to lose some sleep, but mostly it had been fine and he had felt happy about asking him out. Yet, one week seemed like such a short amount of time for something like this...it was baffling.

"Ugh...stop over-thinking things Bubba." He reached up to rub his temples.

"Did you say something sir?" The clerk behind the counter ran his card into the system and looked up at him. He flushed and stood up straighter.

"N-no sorry...I was just thinking." He stammered before taking their copy of the bill and returning the key cards. He turned to leave as he slid his wallet into his back pocket. A quick look around confirmed that Marshall had either taken his suit case or somehow gotten rid of it. He really hopped that he had just taken it outside.

It was a short distance to the door and he luckily arrived just as the shuttle pulled up.

"Excellent timing, so are we all ready to go then?" Bonnie nodded and Marceline just smirked before pulling his twin sister into the bus by their linked hands. He looked at Marshall who just shrugged and gave him a thumbs up.

"Ready when you are slow poke." He rolled his eyes and took his own suitcase only to have Marshall grab it first and load it up into the back of the van before stepping inside after the girls. Bubba blinked for a moment before he smiled softly and got onto the shuttle bus himself. So Marshall could be chivalrous when he wanted to, that was nice.

The inside was fairly compact but it was only a short ride to the airport so there was really no problem. He slid gracefully into the seat next to Marshall, who had chosen to sit across from the girls. He hoped for a short peaceful ride but he was being too ambitious with that silent request. After all, when had he ever known Marshall to actually behave for more than a short amount of time?

It had only been a few moments of driving before apparently the dark-haired male had to break the silence from their side.

"Do you two always hold hands like that now?" It was directed at the girls who were indeed sitting close and holding hands. Bonnie seemed to have a permanent smile on her face now that she knew she could take Marceline home with her. It warmed his heart to see his twin so happy again. He had been distressed when she had been upset those few short days ago. Days...he had only known them for days.

"Yes of course! Why wouldn't we hold hands? It's fun and nice..." Bonnie spoke up and blushed slightly as she continued to grin. Marceline smirked and tilted her head at her brother.

"Got a problem Marsh? Why don't you hold hands with your BOYFRIEND." They both stiffened at the word and their eyes met in a glance before they promptly looked away again stubbornly. Bubba coughed awkwardly to break up the tension that had rapidly accumulated in the vehicle and shifted forward.

"Ah...How do you know about that?" He asked his question a bit defensively, because he hadn't quite been ready for everything to be in the open since it was painfully obvious how tentative the ground he and Marshall walked upon was now.

"Well duh, it is so painfully obvious that I actually feel bad for you guys. Marshall has had his eyes glued to your ass all morning Bubba."

Marshall visibly spluttered next to him before he composed himself and crossed his arms. Bubba on the other hand felt his cheeks heat up instantly and he brought a hand up to his face to try and cover it up somehow. He couldn't help but glance over at Marshall who had crossed his arms and was glaring daggers at his little sister.

"I have not, my eyes are very obviously not glued to his ass or even him right now!" His speech was so childish that Bubba couldn't help but chuckle and mutter under his breath.

"Liar…" 

Bubba promptly got his foot stepped on by Marshalls' and he yelped slightly and sat up straight to glare at the other man.

"What the hell was that for?"

"You just said something! Are you on my side or not with this?"

"There are no sides Marshall!"

Marceline groaned audibly and Bonnie also chimed in with a soft sigh that caught their attention. Bubba looked at them and raised an eyebrow.

"What?"

"Are you guys even listening to yourselves?" Bonnie spoke calmly but both of the girls were smirking evilly, which was just plain unnerving. "You sound like a married couple. As awkward as this is to say, I'm glad you're going to have a week to yourselves to get rid of all of this sexual tension.”

"True that" Marcelline laughed and gave Bonnie a high five.

Bubba was, embarrassed and dumbstruck by his sister and they both seemed to just be gaping. He huffed, glanced at Marshall and then simply crossed his ankle over his knee before leaning back. Both of their stubbornness was showing plainly as they sat in silence right next to each other.

“There’s no stupid…’sexual tension’ or whatever. Drop it Bonnie.” He forced out his words a bit moodily because of his embarrassment.

"Holding hands is stupid..." Marshall muttered quietly under his breath and Bubba was barely able to hear it, but he smiled slightly none the less and leaned forward to give the other male a look. Bubba waited until Marshall met his eye before he grinned and leaned back with a quiet chuckle. The next week was going to be at least incredibly interesting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for all of the kind comments! I really love them C: Next chapter will be up fairly quickly I think!


	12. Goodbyes and Beginnings

They arrived at the airport with time to spare, so they all waited together at a small juice shop that was located outside of the wall of massive airport security. Marshall had become increasingly silent as they had checked the girl’s bags and gotten closer and closer to the gate. Bubba was slightly worried but he hadn't said anything as of yet as they sat and drank their respective juice drinks.

Bubba had found it comical that Marshall had ordered the 'Bloody Berry' juice, since it was the most red of all of the drinks. He had jokingly asked if he and Marceline were secretly vampires which just caused the dark-haired siblings to laugh.

"Yes...We are praying on both of you for your fair juicy skin." Marceline had promptly tilted her head to kiss the inside of Bonnie's wrist and pretend to drink from it like a vampire. Bubba had been laughing along until Marshall had come up behind him and promptly bit the side of his neck. He flinched and let out a very manly sound that was a cross between a shriek and a yell.

They spent the next couple of minutes laughing at him as his cheeks turned completely red and he swatted Marshall away from him. Luckily they dissolved into a conversation about Bonnie's studies in science and he was left to enjoy his watermelon papaya drink in peace and listen to his sister quietly as she talked about Science.

He noticed that Marshall seemed to be playing with the straw of his drink more than actually drinking it; finding this peculiar he secretly nudged the dark-haired man with his elbow and tilted his head. Bubba mouthed his words at him and raised an eyebrow.

'What’s wrong?'

Marshall gave him a confused look for a moment before he shrugged and looked away. Bubba sighed and poked his elbow again to try and get his attention. He was ignored completely which only frustrated him more so he begun to continuously poke the male in his sides until Marshall started squirming around. He was very pleased when Marshall eventually gave up ignoring him and turned to swat at his hands.

"Bubba stop it!" He practically whined it and Bubba just raised an eyebrow before he kept up the annoying poking. Which in turn cause Marshall to turn around and start poking him back. This was bad since they were both ticklish and attempting to both avoid the other’s pokes as well as land some of their own.

"Tell me what’s wrong and I'll stop poking you." He muttered it in a quieter voice as he lunged to poke Marshall Lee in his side; he received a finger to his gut as retaliation as Marshall huffed.

"I told you nothing is wrong, so stop poking me." His hands were slapped away and Bubba sighed and gave up on assaulting Marshall to make him tell him what was wrong.

"Fine, tell me when you want to then." He sat back and crossed his arms over his chest and brought his drink up to his lips as he sipped it and focused back on his sister and her very exciting story about a tree fungus she was studying back at home.

Marshall seemed to be incredibly peeved by this as he focused back on the girls as well just to give him the cold shoulder. It was quite an interesting dynamic they had going on today as they both sat leaning away from each other and pretending to be interesting in what the girl were talking about. Bubba WAS interested in science but he had already heard about what she had done and Marshall was just lost and confused. It was obvious on his face.

Eventually it was close to the time that their flight was supposed to arrive so they all stood up to throw away their drink containers and head out to where the line for security was checking everyone in their as usual invasive and annoying way. Bubba was not expecting things to get as awkward as they suddenly did though.

He had no problem going up to Bonnie and giving her a big hug as she hugged him back. After all he wasn't going to see his twin for a whole week, which was a fairly large, and yet short, amount of time. They pulled away and he smiled at her warmly.

"Be good, show Marceline around and don't get into trouble." Bonnie smiled at him but shoved him a bit playfully.

"You too, you're more of a trouble maker when mom and dad aren't around and now I can't keep an eye on you!" He chuckled and promised not to get in too much trouble. Although he was planning to get into at least a little bit of trouble.

It was then that the twins noticed the completely awkward atmosphere between Marshall Lee and Marceline as the two dark-haired siblings stood apart from each other and wouldn't make eye contact. Bubba was mostly certain that they hadn't already hugged so he simply looked at Marshall and lifted an eyebrow at him in a silent question. 

Marshall in turn just shrugged and looked away as he pursed his lips. Marceline wasn't any better as she fidgeted and glanced at her brother before starting up an awkward conversation. Bubba just looked at Bonnie and shrugged in his confusion.

"So uh...Bye Marshall. I'll see you in a week or whatever...Don't die." She seemed to wince at her choice of words but Marshall just nodded and reached out to awkward pat his sister on the head.

"...You two are hopeless." Bubba commented dryly before he grabbed his twins arm and turned to walk away a bit from the awkward siblings. "Just take your time saying goodbye, Bonnie and I are going to go check the departure times on the flights!" he called over his shoulder before giving Marshall a look as he and Bonnie went to pretend to stare at the flight arrival and departure screens.

Secretly he watched as the two siblings exchanged what appeared to be awkward words, had a small slap fight and then eventually hugged each other. He watched as they didn't let go and Marceline tried to pull away but Marshall continues to hug her despite her protests. Then it turned into a game as she tried to get her brother off of her and he stubbornly refused.

"They're kind of strange aren't they?" Bonnie chimed up from beside him and he couldn't help but smile.

"Yes they are, but they really care about each other. This must be hard for them." He watched as Marceline pried Marshall's arms off of her and punched him in the gut playfully. It actually looked like it kind of hurt though, so maybe it hadn't been as playful as he had thought.

His twin tugged on his arm before he nodded and they both made their way back over. He eyed Marshall with intrigue and got a disgruntle look in response which made him smile. At least he had figured out what was wrong with the other male. it seemed kind of obvious now that he knew but that was the nature of things like this.

Marshall was sad that Marceline was moving but he obviously wasn't that good at showing it. At least he'd gotten to give her a hug and it was only a week, but Bubba wondered absently if this was the first time that the two of them had ever been separated.

"Alright Bon, time to go and get the hell out of dodge." The girls had joined hands once more as they double checked to make sure they had their ID's, tickets, and passports out. Bubba watched calmly with Marshall next to him as the girl waved and then moved eagerly over to security.

Bubba was personally okay with letting them go like that and heading out from the airport, but Marshall seemed fixed on watching Marceline so he didn't say anything. Eventually the girls made it all the way through security and they watched them join hands on the other side and walk off towards their gate, looking like the perfect kinds of opposites. Bonnie in a pink dress and Marceline in jeans and a dark colored band t-shirt. It was kind of perfect actually, and he felt proud of his sister.

His gaze slid over to Marshall who seemed to be having a different set of emotions conflicting inside of him. Bubba glanced down and smiled before he gently slid his hand into Marshall's and laced their fingers gently as he leaned over to murmur in the dark-haired man’s ear.

"Cheer up, it’s only a week. They'll be fine, I swear it." His cheeks were dusted a slight pink but at least his weren't as completely red as Marshall's were at the moment. He watched as the male sighed and looked up at him with a gaze that screamed 'fuck me now'. Really, no one was allowed to have bedroom eyes like that, it was dangerous. Especially in a place as public as the airport.

"It's your job to distract for a week then." With those words Marshall silently turned around and let go of Bubba's hand before walking calmly back towards the entrance, effectively leaving Bubba feeling both hot and embarrassed and mortified. He quickly pulled himself back together and jogged to catch up with Marshall before he shoved him playfully and they walked shoulder to shoulder, with hands occasionally brushing, towards the buses and shuttle services.

\-----------------------------------------------

Marshall was a bit less stiff and anxious than he had been previously, but he was still not completely sure how to react to his sister departure. Unknown to Bubba he and his sister had never really been separated for more than a couple of days. That however wasn't the thing that he worried the most about.

He worried that this was the beginning of his sister moving away from him forever. It wasn't as if he hated the idea of her starting her own life and he didn't want to suffocate her and keep her by his side, but it was difficult to let something you cared about go. Not like he would ever openly say something as embarrassing as that, but he'd looked after Marcy for years, and just letting her go off thousands of miles away was frustrating and it made him anxious.

Bubba pulled him out of his thoughts by reaching out and poking his cheek. He blinked and looked around the shuttle bus they had gotten onto before looking at Bubba in confusion.

"What? Why do you keep poking me so much today?" He asked as he poked him back in the arm.

"I wouldn't be poking you if you didn't keep spacing out and looking depressed. Are you really that worried about it?"

"About what?" He was feigning ignorance, but he knew it was a futile attempt since it was kind of obvious that Bubba already knew what was causing him to be so odd. Stupid smart boyfriend. Oh god it was even weird for him to think the word boyfriend. Marshall very quickly reminded his stomach to stop doing that weird twisting feeling thing at the word.

"Are you really going to pretend I don't know?" Bubba huffed and Marshall batted his eyelashes innocently.

"What on earth could you be referring to Bubba? The world is full of happy people and sunshine!" His voice practically dripped with sarcasm, much like a piece of bacon will drip with grease when fresh out of the frying pan. Bubba did not look amused though which of course was all the more entertaining for Marshall.

"Do you really want me to interrogate you about your feelings Marshall Lee? I will go there, and I will completely expose all of your tender human feelings." He made a face at the pink-haired boys words and leaned against the seat he was sitting in.

"Ew no, spare us all from your poor attempt at being a therapist. Besides I'll get over it. It's just a bit nerve wracking letting her fly miles away, not a big deal." He shrugged it off and looked at Bubba with his lips pursed. Luckily for him Bubba just sighed and let it go for the time being.

"Fine..."

An awkward silence ensued which had them both shifting a bit awkwardly as they sat shoulder to shoulder and thigh to thigh in the shuttle van. Marshall played around with an idea in his head. He debated asking about it and thought about it before convincing himself not to ask what he wanted. However he thought about it once more and accidentally blurted out his thoughts.

"Bubba do you want to go get...food or something?" He paused as the realization that he had said that out loud, rather than in his head hit him suddenly and he just kind of looked up at Bubba in slick surprise. It was strange to expect to hear the words in your head and instead actually have your ears register the sound.

Bubba seemed a bit surprised at the invitation but he smiled none the less and nodded.

"Yeah, what do you have in mind? I'm kind of in the mood for Italian but we can get whatever." He shrugged and looked at Marshall with a knowing smirk as Marshall felt himself get a bit flustered. He took a deep breath and smirked right back. He could gain ground again.

"Sure, pasta sounds perfect. I know a little place near my apartment.' He looked over at Bubba's suitcase that he still had and pursed his lips before he ran his fingers through his bangs and tilted his head at the sweater clad male.

"Going to carry that suitcase around all day Bubba?" He smirked and nodded towards the bag. "Or should we drop it off at my place?" He grinned as Bubba rolled his eyes.

"Yes actually that would be a lot nice than having me carry it around everywhere we go." Marshall grinned and they both looked up as the Shuttle bus came to a stop near the subway station. The subway ride back to Marshall's apartment was fairly quiet except for little teasing comments they made and the nervous shifting of their legs as they sat next to each other.

Despite making fun of holding hands earlier he did slide his hand against Bubba's and played with his fingers after he silently talked himself into. He was pleased when they actually ended p holding hands and it did feel nice for a while.

That was until Bubba commented on his change of heart about the act of holding hands when they got off of the Subway and walked along the street hand in hand.

"So, I thought hand holding was dumb?" Marshall scowled and proceeded to squeezes Bubba's hand hard enough to hurt until the males was tugging at his hand to try and get his away.

"What’s wrong Bubba? Is hand holding too much for you now?" He grinned slightly evilly and stuck his tongue out at him and released some of the pressure he was applying to his hand.

"Only when you're trying to make my fingers fall off! I'm fairly certain that hand holding isn't supposed to be a painful activity Marshall!"

"Says who? Come on Bubs take it like a man!" He laughed as they made their way into the apartment complex and he finally released Bubba's hand in order to step into the elevator and hit the button for the correct floor. The doors shut with just the two of them and suddenly the atmosphere was awkward and oddly sexually tense.

Maybe it was just every time they were alone in a confined space, but Marshall felt his mouth wet a little bit and he slowly looked over at Bubba only to find him staring at him intently. They both quickly looked away from each other and Marshall cleared his throat calmly. Just one more level and they would be there and this awkwardness would end.

Suddenly, the elevator lurched to a stop and the lights flickered and then went out. His mouth went dry as he looked around in the incredibly dark box and blinked. An emergency light came on and he blinked against the red glow of it.

"What? Wait..." he couldn't believe it. The elevator had stopped; just fucking stopped one level from their floor.

"Did the power go out?" Bubba speculated from beside him quietly as the tiny red light briefly turned off before glowing back to life in an on-off sort of pattern. Marshall was slightly freaked out by the whole thing so he slowly slid closer to Bubba and took his hand again. He did feel better after that.

"Well this sucks...Like royally sucks. So much for Italian food!" He slid down to sit on the floor of the elevator and looked up at Bubba and where they were still holding hands.

"Why are you on the floor?" He couldn't see Bubba's expression since the light went off for that brief amount of time, but he clearly heard his voice.

"Something tells me we're going to be here for a while and my legs don't feel like standing for that amount of time."

Bubba seemed to consider that before he also slid down to sit next to Marshall on the floor with his legs stretched out calmly. He heaved a sigh and Marshall looked over at him before pulling his knees into his chest.

"So....do you have any pets?" Marshall oddly attempted to start a conversation, but Bubba didn't really help at all.

"What?"

"Pets...you know dogs or cats or...yeah."

"Why? That was incredibly random."

"I'm trying to start a conversation you ass!" Marshall huffed and flicked Bubba's cheek, which only resulted in his side being poked. They glared at each other momentarily in the darkness before Bubba responded.

"Not really, we had a turtle for a while named Sir. Henri, but he disappeared. My parents are allergic to animals with fur so we've never really had one."

"Wow...Who named him? Was it you? I bet it was you!" He laughed as Bubba's eyes narrowed and he looked away.

"Yes...I named him. But Bonnie also liked the name so we kept it." He seemed to be pouting as Marshall cracked up laughing at the name; one hand absently clutching at his own side as he chuckled.

"O-Only you would name a pet something like that hah!" He trailed off into a fit of smaller giggles.

"What about you?"

"Ahh I have a cat, named Schwabl. She is the best, hopefully you're not allergic because I’m going to let her sleep on your face at night." he grinned mischievously before Bubba shoved him and snorted as well.

"Schwabl isn’t any less of a strange name! Sheesh. You have no right to make fun of me."

"Ah but I do, see Bubba because of this whole 'relationship' thing, I have a right and a job to make fun of you whenever possible." He smirked and twirled his finger in the air of the dark elevator.

"Oh great." Bubba rolled his eyes but it was lost in the darkness so Marshall couldn't really tell. There was a slight pause before Marshall felt Bubba lean over slightly so that his head was resting on his shoulder. He glanced down and slowly smiled before he reached up and casually touched Bubba's pink hair.

"Tell me about California. I've never been, I kind of avoid sunny places." He comment casually and Bubba made a noise before he started in on a story about golden beaches and the sea air and how warm the sand is between your toes. He could almost feel the warmth of what he was describing, the cool sea air and the water on his toes. It did sound nice, amazing nice actually. 

Marshall eventually leaned his head over to rest it on top of Bubba's as they sat there and talked about California and he was told about San Diego and the beaches and Bubba's house. It was really nice to just talk about things as they sat there stuck in the elevator, waiting for the power to come back on.

"What about you? How long have you lived in Toronto?" Bubba looked up at him and shifted slightly as he played with their fingers and tapped them against each other as they held hands. Marshall actually really liked that and he surprisingly didn't even mind being trapped in an elevator with Bubba.

"A few years...I've had dual citizenship my whole life since our parents were Canadian and we lived close to the border." He explained how they'd moved up there and lived in Canada for a few years.

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah, it's really cool and there are a lot of diverse types of people here. Interesting people to meet and get along with..." He smirked and looked at Bubba as he watched him flush slightly. That was at least a bit satisfying, not that the red light bulb helped either of them look normally colored anyway. 

They talked about where they'd like to go and where they had been, it felt like hours before the lights flickered and the elevator powered up again. Marshall looked up with wide eyes and blinked against the harsh light.

"Finally! How long have we even been down here?" He popped his neck by twisting it from side to side and cleared his throat. Now that the lights were on they both took in their embarrassing situation.

Their hands were tangled together as they leaned on one another and were quite close and cuddly. It didn't really register that they should get up until the elevator doors let out the small ping to let them know that they had reached their floor and they both rapidly scrambled up and away from each other.

There were a few concerned people standing at the entrance and Marshall did his best to hide his red cheeks as they made their way out of the elevator. He shared a look with Bubba as they exited before they both started laughing. They laughed mostly about what had happened but they also laughed out of relief from not being stuck in the elevator any more.

Bubba passed by him and smiled as they walked down the hallway towards Marshall's apartment. He smirked and chuckled.

"That was sure interesting." Bubba nodded and chuckled.

"Yeah..." When Marshall got to the door and started to unlock it, Bubba leaned against the wall and grinned at him, with a little knowing smile. It made his chest do funny things so Marshall tried his best not to look at Bubba as he focused on the door. He failed miserably.

"So, how about that lunch date? It's still about two in the afternoon." Marshall blinked and rolled his eyes before opening the door and nodding.

"Sure, drop your stuff off and we'll go. Getting stuck in an elevator has made me starving." They both chuckled, but it felt more natural to be alone together now. Bubba still managed to stare at the apartment in slight awe though as they walked in and Marshall showed him where he could put his stuff in Marceline’s room. Marshall had a feeling he was going to enjoy this week, at least a little bit, hopefully a lot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are probably a ton of typos since I just skimmed over this quickly, since I am losing internet for awhile and wouldn't have been able to post it until Monday if I didn't get it up today! So here it is...typos and mistakes and all!  
> Ill edit it on Monday better!
> 
> Sorry for delay! Dx


	13. Hands are Weird, and So Are You

Marshall played with the metallic fork idly, flipping it back and forth so that it would be parallel to the knife and spoon that rested on the table before he would purposefully shift it so that it wasn't parallel at all. He could tell that this bugged Bubba, since he had his dining wear completely parallel to not only itself but also to his napkin. 

They had made it out of the apartment after getting Bubba settled in Marceline's room as much as was necessary. Once that was mostly taken care of Marshall's stomach had loudly protested to the lack of food occupying it so they decided to head straight out to the Italian place they had been discussing. 

Naturally they took the stairs down to the Lobby. Marshall had honestly had enough with elevators today, and probably for a few weeks at that.

At first it had been awkward as they were seated in a booth and handed menus. Marshall had no idea what to say and Bubba looked like he felt the exact same way. As amazing as it was that they were actually on a sort of date together it felts so, formal and Marshall just wasn't very good at that. He wasn't very good at a lot of things actually, but making polite or nice conversations was one of them. Teasing he could do, easily; which is why after they'd received their drinks and ordered food he'd picked up on Bubba's OCD habit and had absolutely not been able to resist teasing him.

Plus it was breaking the new found tension that they had accumulated once inside the restaurant. Or maybe that was the people who would occasionally look at them.   
   
Anytime he shifted the fork so that it wasn't parallel he could visibly see Bubba furrow his brows and pointedly look away. It was the most adorably awkward trait Marshall had ever had the opportunity to witness. So of course he took advantage of it. Marshall calmly left the fork crooked and leaned his elbow on the table with his chin in his palm as his eyes flicked upwards to looks at Bubba.

The frustration was plain on his face, and Bubba just glared back silently. It was priceless. Marshall tilted his head and blinked his eyes innocently.

"Something the matter Bubs?" He couldn't keep the smirk off of his face as he stared at him and watched as Bubba's eyes slid over to the fork. It was incredible how you could practically see the gears turning in his head as he tried not to freak out about the misplaced fork.

Bubba's bread plate and everything was so perfectly parallel, compared to his own off-set bread plate and fork it was comical. Marshall barely contained his snickers as he did his best to keep a straight face and just watch Bubba as innocently as possible.

"Marshall Lee... " He gave the male a warning look but Marshall just continued to stare at him indifferently.

"What? What did I do?"

"You know what you did! I just watched you do it!" He seemed to be a bit aggravated so Marshall chuckled and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Did what? Does having my elbow on the table bug you? I didn’t realize you were a stickler for manners!" Marshall huffed and sat back before slouching in his chair, his lips twitched upwards slightly. He had never really been one for manners or anything like that. It was hard to learn manners when your parents didn't really care either.

"N-No! The fork thingy!"

Marshall stared at Bubba before laughter bubble up from his throat and out of his mouth. Bubba was obviously so frustrated that he was having difficulties even coming up with words and articulating what he was trying to say. He could only think of one word. Adorable.

"Fork thingy? Come on Bubba use your words; is it a fork or a thingy?"

He looked like he was going to explode in either embarrassment or rage as his face turned slightly red. Marshall very quickly figured out that it was indeed anger that was boiling inside of him as Bubba leaned forward and whispered angrily at him. It was slightly unnerving when someone who wanted to yell at you suddenly switched to whispering and Marshall just stared at him.

"Marshall what the hell is wrong with you? Why do you enjoy tormenting me so much?" The pink -haired man huffed angrily before he just reached across the table and fixed the fork AND his plate so that they were parallel before leaning back into his chair. Marshall just blinked before giving him a look.

"Really Bubba? it bugs you that much?" He chuckled and leaned his head back into his hand as he casually reached across the table to press his finger to the edge of the male's knife until it became nonparallel to the rest of the utensils. However as he was pulling his hand away Bubba caught it and held onto it. Marshall's eyes widened before he tried to pull it away, Bubba was unrelenting though as he held his hand tightly and fixed the knife with the other.

"You're just asking for it aren't you?" Marshall grinned a shark-like grin.

"Maybe." He paused and looked at their hands. "You gonna hold my hand all night Gumball?" Despite his slight tugging on the appendage, his hand was not released at all and eventually he met the other males eyes as Bubba seemed to hesitate.

"If you think it'd be okay. I mean it keeps you from messing up the forks and spoons and well..." he rubbed the back of his neck and looked away a bit. Marshall was quite flabbergasted by his honesty and he stopped tugging on his hand.

What? He had really just admitted to wanting to hold his hand? He wasn’t sure how to feel about it, but he could definitely feel the heat rising in his cheeks and burning the tips of his ears. Marshall did his best to ignore the urge to cover his face. Instead he just gently let his hand rest in Bubba’s and tugged at the ends of his bangs with his other hand.

“Just until the food arrives. Then I’m going to need both hands just to get it into my mouth fast enough. I’m starved…” he pouted and looked towards where the waiters were. Really he was just looking anywhere but at his hand and arm, stretched across the table slightly and clasped gently in the pink boys grasp.

Marshall distracted himself by leaning forward and taking a drink from the red wine he’d ordered. He wasn’t planning on getting drunk or anything but, he figured that the events of the day warranted a drink of some kind. Definitely of the alcoholic variety, hooray for Canada’s drinking age. Bubba had politely refused anything alcoholic and had opted for just water. Boring.

Bubba’s hands were large and warm, but he already sort of knew that from earlier. What he hadn’t thought about earlier was the implications of such a thing as having large hands. He also really needed to stop thinking about it now before any unwanted tents were pitched in his pants.

His eyes slowly slid over to observe as Bubba idly played with their fingers and looked at them in comparison. He matched their palms up and Marshall promptly pouted when he saw that Bubba’s hands were indeed wider than his, however his fingers were definitely just a bit longer.

“You’re hands are fat…” He smirked and looked at their compared appendages.

“No, yours are just incredibly small and thin. My hands are quite normal, thank you very much.”

“Geeze no need to be so offended. It was just an observation your highness.”

“I wasn’t offended, just stating facts.” Marshall watched as Bubba bent his fingers so that they slid into the spaces in between his own and held onto his hand like that. His fingers followed shortly after as he just stared at their hands for a moment. Hands were weird. Fingers were weird too; Nice to have, but still incredibly weird.

“Hands are strange.”

Marshall blinked and stared at him as he voiced his own thought and he grinned before shrugging.

“Hmm maybe…but it is kind of nice this whole holding them or whatever thing.” He grinned at Bubba from across the table. The awkwardness was gone, it felt nice and Bubba’s hands were incredibly warm and nice to hold. As embarrassing as it might have been, Marshall found that he didn’t mind holding hands at all.

Their waiter came over, just in time to ruin the moment with a tray holding their ordered Italian food and they both pulled their hands away before looking down at their food as it was placed in front of them. His cheeks felt hot again and he silently cursed his inability to not react to situations.

He’d just ordered your classical lasagna and boy did it look great. He had even been right about the two handed thing. He felt bad but he was really hungry, and it was really good food; really good food indeed.

Bubba had ordered the Chicken Marsala and he also seemed to be enjoying it, just more slowly and not as rapidly as Marshall was enjoy his own food. If he was being completely honest and looking at himself from outside of his body, he would have had to admit that he basically inhaled his food. Marshall Lee the vacuum.

He still used his manners, as much as he had to begin with, and didn't spill food or act like a total pig but, Bubba wasn't even half done by the time he had already finished everything on his plate. His stomach was definitely satisfied, which was all he needed in that moment.

Marshall met Bubba's eyes and sat back in the booth as he stared at him. Honestly Bubba looked a little shocked but mostly just amused.

"Were you hungry or something?" He could only roll his eyes at his...err boyfriend? Date? Partner? No partner sounded like something out of an American western cowboy film, or ToyStory. Either one was equally as terrible an analogy to their current state of affairs.

"No Bubs, I just enjoy consuming things rapidly. Watch out later or I might have to consume and suck on you." Bubba turned the darkest shade of red he had probably ever had the pleasure of witnessing anyone turn. It was hilarious and he bit his lip as he stared at the male knowingly.

"Someone's mind is in the gutter~" he replied in a sing-songy voice that caused a few people to look over at their table.

"Y-You're the one that said something like that! besides don't say it so loudly..."Marshall chuckled and idly played with his fork as he  listened to Bubba.

"Whatever, they can listen in if they want. Makes things more interesting."

"....Are you into that or something? Is this a kink of yours?" It was a good comeback and his expression fell slightly as he looked away in embarrassment and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"No, public expression is different from public displays Bubba." he stuck his tongue out and waggled it at Bubba teasingly. Not that he DIDN'T have kinks, because didn't everyone? Seriously if biting was still classified as a kink then didn't everyone at least have that? How could you not enjoy biting during sex? He failed to understand those people that didn't like biting but whatever, hopefully Bubba didn't have a problem with it. Maybe he would get to find out.

"Why is your tongue so long?"

The question startled him slightly and he pulled his tongue back into his mouth before just blinking at Bubba in confusion. He stuck his tongue back out and looked down at it before raising an eyebrow and looking quite confused at sir Pink and sassy.

"It's not? What do you even mean?" He attempted to stare at his own tongue and ended up going cross-eyed as he tried.

"It goes down almost past your chin...that’s pretty long Marshall."

"Is not, how far does your tongue go out?" he furrowed his brows as he looked at Bubba and nodded for him to stick his tongue out. "Come on, no one cares if you stick your tongue out in public." He rolled his eyes and crossed his arms slowly.

Bubba stuck his tongue out and it was incredibly pink and...Also rather short. It didn't even get close to reaching his chin or anything of the sort. 

Suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious about the length of his tongue, Marshall grabbed the tip of it between his thumb and forefinger and pulled it out to look at it. 

Compared to Bubba's tongue, it WAS long. He felt the need to justify it so he shrugged and looked over at Bubba. 

"Well, Can't say I've ever received any complaints about the length or skill of my tongue. You'd be the first to even bring it up." he chuckled slightly and took a drink before nonchalantly letting his gaze sweep over the other members of the Italian restaurant. 

It wasn't too packed, but there were a few people sitting at tables and booths. There was a family with two kids that were being slightly noisy and a middle-aged woman with long white hair that was sitting alone at a table. His eyes made another pass over the room before settling back on Bubba who was rolling his eyes.

"Right, sorry I wasn't complaining, I had just noticed it and wondered if there was reason." He nonchalantly brushed off the conversation and continued eating his food. Nobody ate slower than Bubba it seemed, but Marshall didn't mind watching him eat.

"Hm no reason I can think of really...except that I was obviously meant to use it for something." he stressed the last word and watched Bubba nearly choke on his food. 

\-------------------------------------

The evening continued like that as Bubba finished his food despite that number of times Marshall attempted to make him choke with his suddenly very sexual topics. Seriously it seemed like trying to make him gag on his food had become a game for the other male.

They ended up ordering a slice of tiramisu for dessert and splitting it. However Marshall fought him for pieces of it and it ended up in a game of blocking each other from getting their bite of dessert in their mouth. As soon as his spoon was knocked over and the tiramisu flopped onto the table he gave Marshall a look.

"That’s it!" He stood up and moved around their table before sliding in the booth right next to Marshall. He promptly leaned over and ate Marshall's bite of tiramisu right off of his spoon.

"Noooo! That was mine! You pink-haired asshat! God damn it Bubba!" Marshall grabbed his hands to try and stop him as they both wrestled over the last few bites of dessert comically. He managed to get a bite into his own mouth before Mr. tall dark and mischievous leaned over and practically stole it right out of his mouth.

Bubba felt his face get hot as Marshall leaned away again and licked his own lips at him. He stared before playfully shoving him.

"I can not believe you just did that! Doesn't count since that bite was practically in my mouth already!" He huffed, but he was still unable to hide his grin as his cheeks remained flushed.

"Oh I'm sorry, would you like it back?" Marshall stuck his tongue out before leaning forward to steal the last piece of the cake onto his spoon. Bubba watched slightly horrified before leaning in to intercept the spoon on its path to Marshall Lee's mouth.

He ended up kissing him on the lips just to stop him from getting the spoon to his mouth. As their eyes met with their lips Bubba reacted a bit too late as something wet and cakey landed smack dab against his cheek.  They both paused before he pulled away and glared down at Marshall.

"Marshall...did you just smear the last of the cake on my face."

"Yes. Yes I did." he grinned and Bubba felt some of it slide down towards his chin and Marshall obviously tried to keep from laughing. "Is there a problem? You tried to steal it. So now it is yours, unless of course I do this." Bubba's eyes widened even more as Marshall leaned forward and licked the cake off his cheek.

His levels of being flustered soared through the roof as he jerked away from the sneaky dark-haired man and tried to compose himself through his flushed cheeks. He had cake on his face, and Marshall was looking at him like a hungry animal. He almost forgot that they were in a public place.

"Uhh...shit you cheater." Bubba cleared his throat and went back over to his side of the table before taking out his phone to use as a mirror of sorts before he proceeded to attempt to wipe all of the cake off of his face with his napkin. He could feel Marshall staring at him and somehow he knew that if he looked it would be all over and they would get kicked out of the nice restaurant for naughty things.

Luckily their waiter came by with their check and they split it evenly. Bubba met Marshall's eyes and the smirk on his face that screamed sexy. He stared at him and took in the features of his face, his jaw, his lips, and his amazingly blue eyes.

"We should-"

"Head home? I agree completely." Marshall licked his lips after he'd finished his sentence and they were out of the booth in no time. He wasn't sure what happened or how it happened so suddenly, but something had clicked and they were completely silent on the way home. Bubba feared that if they moved too quickly or spoke too soon, then all the earlier words said about publicly displays would be thrown out the window. It for the best that they were quiet now, and then once they were back at the apartment they could be as loud as they wanted.

Day one of his week living with Marshall Lee Abadeer, and they already couldn't control themselves.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so I've been getting slammed with work and schoolworl this past week or so, and i also hit a bumpy patch of writers block.
> 
> I became unsure of where this was going but then I figured it out c:
> 
> Also.... Smut in the next chapter! Wooo!


	14. Touch me more

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING THIS IS A SMUT CHAPTER. Serious that's really kind of all this is....More notes at end...  
> Again...  
> WARNING SEX scene!!! Just sexy gay Sex Lemon and yes. C:

They made it to the door at least, that was some kind of accomplishment. Despite how often he had brushed his fingers over to back of Bubba's thighs or even his ass, the other male had simply smacked his hand away playfully and ran up the stairs or down the hallway away from him. 

Finally he managed to grab his wrist and Bubba didn't resist. Marshal leaned forward and up on his toes slightly to claim the man’s lips in a rather sensual kiss. He felt them bump against the door that led into his apartment and he couldn't help but curse silently at the prospect of the locked door.

However Bubba was great at distracting him with his mouth as he felt wide hands run up and down his back as they pressed up against the door. His arms slid around the male’s neck to loop there and help him stay connected to pink and tender lips. Their mouths fought for control and sensuality as their tongues touched teasingly. With a breathless chuckle Marshall eventually pulled away and looked at Bubba.

"Am i allowed to open the door? Or are we going to do it in the hallway Bubba?"

Bubba groaned but his hands slowly slid away and Marshall promptly fished around in his pocket for the key before pulling it out and approaching the door with it.

Arms snaked around his waist and Bubba's body became flush with the rear of his own as he attempted and failed at sticking the key into the lock properly. He felt warm lips caress the shell of his ear as his breath caught in his throat. Marshall let out a breathy laugh.

"Bubba, you're making this incredibly difficult..." His speech was interrupted by several brief chuckles as the males light fingers would dance against his sides or waist.

"Am I? Come on Marshall it's just unlocking a door, I'm sure you can manage it."

"Not if you're molesting me while I'm trying to do it jerk." He grinned and put the key into the lock and promptly turned it before elbowing Bubba playfully in the side.

"I am not molesting you, that word implies that you don't like it." The pink-haired male huffed and put a hand on his hip. His hair was ruffled from Marshall tangling his fingers in it and he couldn't help but bite his lip to try and hide his grin.

"Oh? What makes you think I like it so much?" He backed up into the apartment as he swung the door open. Marshall casually grabbed the front of Bubba's shirt to drag him inside of the small apartment.

"Call it intuition or the fact that your pants don't hide much, but I'm fairly sure you want me... Although if you don't then i wouldn't force it on you." He couldn't help but glance down at the tight pants he was wearing and realize that Bubba did speak the truth.

The door closed with a noticeable click and Marshall felt Bubba get a little bit serious even if his words were still playful. He smiled and hooked his fingers in the mans belt loops before he yanked him forward so that their noses and hips were touching.

"Are you asking for permission to fuck me Bubs?" He smirks wickedly as his blue eyes pierced into violet tinted ones.

Bubba grinned back a bit more shyly but he didn't pull away as one hand slid up Marshall's thigh to rest on his hip.

"I guess I am... Now would be your chance to say no. But I give no promises about what you might hear from my room later..." Marshall rolled his eyes and closed the gap to hungrily claim Bubba's soft pink lips before practically growling against them.

"I'd rather hear them up close and personal in my bedroom, if you'd be so kind." He bit his bottom lip and tugged on it before delving back into the kiss. Their tongues met as Bubba's other hand found its way into Marshall's hair and tugged him gently into the kiss.

Their general motion led towards Marshall's room, however there was no complaining as he spun them around and pinned Bubba against the hallway wall. His hands slid up the males slender but sturdy arms and pinned his wrists there as his mouth latched onto the soft skin of his pink-haired mans neck. Bubba let out a small noise of protest but Marshall pushed a bit more, letting his teeth sink in just a tad before he pulled away. His tongue slid over the sensitive skin a moment later.

"Ow, you have sharp teeth. Maybe you are a vampire... Haa you certainly enjoy biting." Bubba comment through slightly clenched teeth and breathlessness as Marshall sucked and kissed up his neck.

"Hmn, I wouldn't mind being a vampire if it meant biting into your neck... You have freckles." Marshall grinned before he trailed kisses upwards to the males ear and nipped his ear lobe playfully. His hips ground forward simultaneously and elicited a nice quiet groan from Bubba.

"Freckles?"

"Yes freckles. Adorable freckles that make me want to taste you all night..." He purred the words before licking the shell of Bubba's ear and kissing it tenderly. He trailed open-mouthed kisses back down his neck and across his collar bones before traveling up the side. He skimmed his teeth over Bubba's jaw before he tilted his head and leaned forward to capture Marshall's lips in a surprise kiss. Marshall melted into it and in moments they were headed back towards the bedroom.

Somehow warm hands found their way underneath the hem of his shirt and slid upwards to feel his chest sensually. Marshall just gave up and promptly stripped off the shirt he was wearing before tossing it haphazardly onto the hallway floor. Bubba seemed to appreciate the lack of fabric as they both melded their lips together and walked backwards into his bedroom.

At the last minute before his legs hit the bed, Marshall spun them around before falling on top off Bubba. He couldn't help his smirk from appearing on his face as he pinned the pink-haired male beneath him and ground his hips down against his. They could both feel how much they wanted each other just from that moment of contact. Marshall leaned down to kiss Bubba and claimed his lips once again. His hand slid down one lean side before he slipped it up underneath the male’s soft shirt.

Bubba's chest wasn't particularity defined or muscular but Marshall still absolutely loved the feel of it. He ran his hands up it and ran his thumb over one of the males nipples as their tongues tangled at a slow and sensual pace. He pinched the nub which caused Bubba to make a small sound but Marshall just grinned and nipped playfully at his bottom lip.

"Is this your first time Gumball?" He moved and slung one leg over Bubba's hips so that he was straddling him. The pink-haired male snorted in amusement before grabbing his own shirt and tugging it off over his head. He had to sit up slightly so that the cloth wasn't pinned against the bed but once it was gone he leaned forward to kiss Marshall again and mumbled against his lips.

"You wish Marshall Lee. No virgins here, unless you're all bark and no bite." His breath caught in his throat at those words and Marshall pulled himself closer to Bubba and leaned forward to bite into his neck again. He sucked on the sensitive skin until he knew it would leave a mark, just to prove Bubba wrong.

"I...Have plenty of bite you insufferable prude." He pinched the male’s nipple again and watched as Bubba scoffed at him and bit his lip in such a teasing manner.

"Prude? How am I being a Prude right now?"

"You still have your pants on." He watched as Bubba rolled his eyes and was taken completely off guard as he was suddenly being groped and rubbed through his tight jeans.

"So do you asshole, that technically makes us both Prudes." Marshall licked his lips and grinned at Bubba before he shoved him backwards so that he was lying down again as he reached a hand down to his own fly and quickly un-did it.

"Fine, then let's change that..."

Their clothes seemed to disappear after that and before long Marshall had both of their erections out in his hand. He watched the pink-haired male intently as he slowly stroked both of them together. His eyes hungrily watched Bubba's flushed cheeks as the male shuddered at the sensation of both of them being stroked together. He ground his hips forward before kissing and licking at Bubba's right nipple with teasing little flicks of his tongue. 

"Haa Damn it! Stop being such a tease..."

"I'm always a tease, you should know that by now..." Marshall smirked before he sucked on the male's pert nub at the same time he teasingly circled his thumb over the tips of their lengths. The reaction he got was better than expected as Bubba bit his lip and let out another groan.

Marshall pushed himself up off of the male and crawled over to the edge of the bed before he reached into the bedside table drawer and grabbed the bottle of lube that he kept there. He slid back and looked at Bubba only to notice the amused smirk that the other male had.

"I assume that this means you want to be on top?" Marshall blinked before he grinned and teasingly reached up to flick Bubba’s nipple that he had previously been teasing with his mouth.

"I was planning on it, unless you have a different preference?" His dark hair fell slightly into his eyes as Marshall tilted his head at Bubba only to watch as he shook his head and flushed darkly.

"No I...I'm fine with either. Actually I kind of want...y-you...to, you know….b-be in-inside…me." Bubba trailed off and burned a shade of dark red embarrassment at his own thoughts. His hands flew up to cover his face and Marshall found it so endearing that he couldn't help but push those hands away to lean down and kiss Bubba's face repeatedly.

"Your wish is my command my prince, now stop being so cute before I give up on sex and decide to cuddle you instead."

"If you do that I will die from lack of release..."

Their eyes met and they both chuckled. Marshall opened the bottle of lube and poured out a good amount onto his finger before spreading it around and warming it up on his hand. It was still a bit cool when he completely discarded Bubba's and his own boxers and slid his hand down past the male’s length and all the way to his entrance. Bubba shied away from the coolness of his slicked up finger but Marshall carefully slipped in his pointer finger before gently working it inside him. Luckily the lube quickly heated up and Bubba was panting out his pleasure moments later.

His second finger slipped in not long after and he scissored and curled them experimentally as he looked for that spot. He made a gentle hooking motion with the two digits and watched Bubba's soft flushed face contort with pleasure and maybe a bit of discomfort.

"Oh! ...Fuck."

His tongue slide over his lips as he watched Bubba arch slightly and roll his hips upward as his finger pressed into that spot inside of him. Marshall continued to stroke over it before he pulled his slick fingers out. His own length ached with need and he couldn't resist anymore. Holding back at this point was not even close to being an option.

He poured out more lube and rubbed it over his stiff length before running his fingers along Bubba's thighs to encourage him to wrap his legs around his waist. Bubba complied as his chest move with his pants and he hooked his legs around Marshall's waist.

"Marshall if you don't hurry up I'm going to die from waiting… I’m c-completely serious." Bubba had mustered the most annoyed expression that he could but really it just ended up looking desperate and horny. He decided to be nice and complied with a hum as he lined himself up and slowly pushed inside of the male. It was obvious now that Bubba wasn't a virgin, because he knew how to relax and not tense up at the intrusion which in the end makes it much easier.

He slid in all the way and paused there to judge Bubba's reaction. The gasp and moan that he received seemed to be good feedback and he slid one hand down to grasp the pink-haired mans member to languidly stroke it. He pulled out and pushed back in slowly receiving a moan in response but he wasn't sure if it had come from Bubba or himself.

The tight wonderful heat that surrounded him made it nearly impossible to go slowly as his hips snapped forward and into Bubba. It was amazing, and the expressions Bubba was making under him was probably the most sexy thing he had ever seen, it made his heart thump forward in his chest in a near painful but still enjoyable way.

Their moans escalated as his pace increased, Marshall didn't even care if his neighbors heard them. He felt a hand and arm slide up and grip the back of his neck and he leaned down to meet luscious and swollen pink lips in a deep kiss as he thrust forward into Bubba, into his boyfriend. The words he had previously shied away from seemed perfect now as he thought them. Both of their moans were swallowed up in their kissing as they moved together.

He had wanted to draw it out, to really enjoy and savor the experience, but it felt too good and Bubba was too hot and tight and wonderful and Marshall knew that he wouldn't last as long as he wanted.

His own breathing increased in tempo as he slid his hand down to gently grasp Bubba's length in his hand and stroke it in time with his thrusts. Their breaths mingled in the small space in-between them as Bubba's moans increased.

"M-Marshall....fuck! Don't...haa D-dont' stop! Please!" His voice was practically breaking as he begged for the pleasure that was being given to him. Marshall ignored his own fatigue and focused just on the pleasure of sliding in and out of that perfect ass. It was obvious that Bubba wasn't going to last long either and he groaned as he felt the male on the brink of his climax. Marshall simply leaned down and sunk his teeth into the soft flesh where shoulder met neck and caused the pink-haired male to fall over the edge and into the bliss of his orgasm.

"M-MARSHALL! Haaaa!! Ngh!"

He felt the spasms around his length and held onto Bubba's thigh as he licked as his neck and continued to thrust into his tightened entrance. It wasn't long after that he groaned loudly and cursed as his own orgasm rocked through his body and he shuddered and remembered to pull out at the last moment before stroking himself twice and releasing on the males chest.

"Fuck...Ahh." He panted and licked his lips before flopping down tiredly on top of Bubba as they both caught their breath. He managed to use one forearm so that all of his weight didn't rest on the man underneath him but, even that was difficult as he regained his mind and his breath from the amazing climax.

"Holy shit..." Marshall chuckled as he heard Bubba's breathless remark and he simply nuzzled forward into his neck and let his eyes slip into a closed position as he enjoyed the warmth that coursed through his body.

"Hmmn...You flatter me your highness." His eyes fluttered open before he glanced up at Bubba's expression and his mouth curled up into a pleased grin. A hand promptly found its way into Marshall's hair and he grunted as his face was shoved back down into the male’s neck, eliciting a bit of laughter from Marshall.

"Oh shut up." Bubba snorted in amusement before he ran his fingers through Marshall's soft slightly sweat dampened hair. "Ugh...You're fat do you have to lay on me?"

Marshall quirked an eyebrow and licked over the bite mark he had left on Bubba's neck in response to the comment.

"Yes, I am required to lay on you and I'm not fat. Rude much?" He slid his hand up the male's chest and pinched his nipple roughly. Suddenly he was roughly rolled and dumped to the side off of Bubba's chest. "Gah! Hey Bubba that’s so mean!" He flopped onto his back and pouted at his pink-haired counterpart.

"Don't be such a baby Marsh..." Marshall continued to pout at him before Bubba caved in with a heavy sigh. It took Marshall literally two seconds to slide closer and wrap his arms around Bubba. He curled up close to him and inhaled deeply as soon as his face was pressed into Bubba's collarbone.

"Not a baby, try to remember that I just gave you the best orgasm of your life." he smirked.

"Way to polish your own ego, I'll try to remember that next time you try to crush me with your heaviness- Ow! Would you stop that?" Marshall let go of the man’s probably sore nipple, his grin was nothing but satisfied.

"Not until you stop calling me fat." Bubba heaved a sigh before he wrapped his arms around Marshall and leaned down to kiss the male's forehead softly.

"You're a fucking handful, you know that right?" Marshall already had his eyes closed as he breathed out softly and smiled at the sweet gesture.

"I know, but you love me for it...Night Bubs. You can make breakfast in the morning." He yawned and felt himself start to drift off, as much as staying awake and chatting about thing sounded fun, he was also exhausted from the sex and day in general. He faded into blackness but not before hearing Bubba's last comment.

"I suppose I am...in love."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright...fluffy cuddles and drama in the next chapter! C: SO look forward tot hat and woo! Sorry for my terrible smut...and Im editing this at like midnight so i apologize or mistakes. :T
> 
> Hopefully people still actually read this...even though it takes me forever to update...:C


	15. Sweet Sweet Bubblegum

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Marceline and Bonnibel feels C: I wanted to write fluff...so I wrote fluff.  
> It's short but please enjoy! ^^

Marceline lounged on her back in the persisting dark of the room as the world slept all around. Or at least the neighborhood did.

She looked down at Bonniebel who was curled up against her chest with her long pink hair tied back as she slept. Realization and wonder hit her as she watched the sweet and wonderful girl sleep in her arms. Marceline tugged Bonnie a bit closer and nuzzled into the girls pink hair as she tucked her head beneath her chin.

It smelled like bubble gum, but not in an overly sweet way. It mostly just smelled sweet and tasty. Marcy reminded herself to ask what kind of shampoo Bonnie used, she liked the smell. A lot. It was almost addictive the way she had to lean closer and inhale deeply to just get the faint hint of it.

Her arms were slid tightly around the other girls body, one gently around her waist and the other curled under her neck and head. Marceline was baffled in the best way at how well they just fit together laying there as her fingers sifted through the lose pink strands of hair.

Bonnie had been excited and nervous for the entirety of the plane ride, but Marceline couldn't see what she was so nervous about when they arrived. The sun had irritated her eyes at first, since she wasn't so used to it, but the warmth it brought was amazing. The Californian streets were busy but she had been assured that this traffic was nothing compared to the traffic at the Los Angeles Airport. She was no stranger to big cities but this son how just felt different.

Their hands remained connected, despite that previous and initial shyness they just continued to hold hands. People didn't stare, which was surprising to Marcy as first, but she had quickly been reassured that girls holding hands was rather common even if they were just friends. Marceline had never been one for touchy feely friendships so she was pleasantly surprised.

A smile lifted the corners of her mouth as she thought back and remembered the events of their first day. From leaving Marshall and Bubba at the airport, which by the way had been the most awkward part of the entire day, seriously that boy couldn't be any more strange; to arriving at Bonniebel's large house and staring at it, everything had been exciting.

Sadly said house was not right near the beach but she had promptly been informed that the beach was only a short drive away and that they would go tomorrow. Her toes curled slightly in the sheets as she thought about the excitement of getting to hang out at the beach for the first time.

Everything was buzzing in her head, so it was no wonder that she couldn't sleep but Marcy didn't mind too much. If she slept then she wouldn't get to watch Bonnie's cute sleeping face as she was clung to.

In all honesty Marceline was supposed to be sleeping in the bedroom next door, but that was not as fun as sharing a bed with this cutie in her arms. Plus it had been made pretty obvious when they had arrived that Bonnie and Bubba's parents were incredibly busy people and they didn't have all that much time to worry about the little details with their kids. 

It had been an interesting first meeting and Marceline had done her best to be polite and agreeable, however after quick introductions and well wishes the two adults had told them to have fun and be downstairs for dinner at 7 before departing in different cars in business suits. It had been a bit shocking at first just to be accepted, especially since she had expected that her parents would question her or something, but there was nothing.

Marceline's thoughts buzzed in her head as she thought over the connection between the twins and their parents compared to her and Marshall's own interaction with their parents; well parent. It was entirely difference and yet there were small threads of similarity that stuck in her head. She couldn't seem to shake them either.

She rolled over onto her back to stare at the ceiling, keeping one arm around Bonnie as her eyes traced over the unfamiliar texture, her thoughts wandering like a comet lost in the vastness of space. They were all slightly neglected, while it was obvious that they were loved; their parents were either busy or absent doing god knows what. It was strange to think that they could grow up on opposite sides of the country and still have similar families. Yet entirely different with her and Marshall.

Her thoughts took a sour turn and she promptly rolled back onto her side and pulled Bonnie closer into her chest so that her head was resting on her collarbone. She didn't want to think about bad things, especially not when she had a week left with the smart and terribly sweet girl in her arms. True they could always figure out another time to meet up, but plane tickets were expensive and it would take even more time to save up.

As much as she appreciated Bonnie paying for her ticket, she didn't want to have to rely on her girlfriends’ money for them to see each other. She had her own money, now she just needed to figure out how the hell to save money and keep track of it.

It had always been up to Marshall to do the adult things, like paying bills. She had basically been mooching off of him for the past few years until she got through college and was able to start her own life. Marshall doing bills and taxes was also the funniest thing since sitcom television. He practically tore his own hair out and cried on the floor. Math was not either of their strong suits. 

Marceline made a mental note to ask him to explain those things when she got back, but then she quickly scrapped that. He would just tease her the entire time and make fun of her not knowing how to do it. Nope she couldn't ask him.

Her hair splayed out on the pillow as she huffed before something occurred to her and she grinned and snapped her fingers.

"Bonnie can teach me!"

Her hand flew to her mouth as the words registered in her ears and not just her brain. She remained completely still as Bonnie shifted against her and nuzzled into her collarbone. Her breath was held for a bit longer before she finally released it in a long sigh as all of the pink-haired girls movements stopped.

"Marcy...stop thinking... 'nd sleep." The words were mumbled into her neck and Marceline opened her mouth before she flushed and closed it.

"Sorry...Just can't stop thinking about you." The face against her neck seemed to get hotter before Bonnie looked up at her and Marceline was able to confirm the red cheeks she was looking at, the sight made her grin widely.

"Jeeze, do you always say such embarrassing things?" Bonnie sighed but she was smiling slightly as well. Marcelne watched as the girl shifted around their position so that she was higher up on the bed than Marceline was. "Here, I'll help you fall asleep." 

Marcy looked at her skeptically but she complied silently and shifted so that she was resting with her head on Bonnie's collarbone instead, their positions now reversed. The gentle motion of fingers combing through her long dark hair started up and she felt her tension start to ease right away. It was wonderful and as Bonnie just kept playing with her hair and twisting it and combing it back out with her fingers, her entire body relaxed and Marceline let out a soft hum.

"Hmn you're good at this..."

"So you're enjoying it then?" The smile could be heard in the pink-haired girl’s words and Marceline grinned in response and nodded.

"Definitely....Kind of, reminds me of when I was a kid." Her grin softened slightly as her thoughts once again fell upon her mother and the past. She'd always loved it when her hair was played with as a kid. Bonnie was silent for quite some time before speaking up.

"What are you thinking about?"

"...My mom and just other stuff." She paused and let her eyes flutter closed before she just continued the story, since it seemed Bonnie was waiting for more. "She used to play with my hair when I was little but then she went away. I just haven't had anyone play with it in a long time, because Marshall is Marshall..." She chuckled softly at the image of Marshall ever attempting to play with her hair. He would have probably just ended up pulling on it or something.

"Oh...Well I'm glad that...I can do it. Your hair is lovely." The carding motion and the gentle pull on the roots of her hair had Marceline soothed in a matter of minutes. It was perfect, somehow Bonnie knew exactly what she needed before Marceline even knew. It was wonderful, and she never wanted it to end.

Her hand slid up to gently clasp one of Bonnibel's and she calmly laced their fingers together as both of their breathing evened out.

"Thanks Bonnie..." She mumbled the words before just barely feeling lips press to the top of her head. Words floated into her ears and combined themselves into peaceful dreams as she slept throughout the night.

"Love you Marcy, sleep well."


	16. Unacceptable Friday's

Warmth seeped into his skin from several contact points as he wrapped his arms tighter and nuzzled deeper into slumber and comfort. His head rose and fell gently in time with the movement of the chest he was laying on. His face pressed softly into the warm skin as his eyelids fluttered open slowly.

Everything was so warm and comfortable, he didn't want to move even a centimeter. However the soft and yet annoying sound of music accompanied by beeping was persistent and Marshall groaned softly as his limbs attempted to catch up with his thought process. Just because your brain was awake did not mean that your body was.

The sound from his phone slowly got louder and he silently cursed the invention of gradual volume increased alarm clocks as he lifted his head to look over at his phone on the bedside table. The beeping was coming from his actual alarm clock, and it was softer than it should have been due to the presences of someone's pants covering it. Marshall let his bleary gaze travel over the planes of Bubba's chest as he recalled the night before and proceeded to smirk slightly. It was a poor attempt at a smile simply because he was tired and his face muscles weren't awake. God though, Bubba was gorgeous spread out on the bed with only a sheet half covering him.

As the volume of the music coming from his phone speakers increased again his half smirk turned into a scowl. Marshall's hair hung in his face and stuck up at a million odd angles as he pushed himself off of the other man and slid out of the bed. He slid his phone off the bedside table and pressed the end button on the alarm. It was early and he had roughly and hour before he had to leave for work.

It had been easy to forget yesterday about the prospect of going to work today, as it was always easy to forget work related things when you were playing. He snapped his phone closed and set it back down onto the bedside table before he picked up the pair of pants and tossed them onto the floor as he simultaneously smashed the off button on the alarm clock as soon as the beeping got loud again.

Bubba shifted slightly where he slept and Marshall held his breath as he watched him curl up around a pillow. He waited for a bit before his shoulders relaxed and he exhaled. As much as he loved tormenting the male, he knew the merits of getting to sleep in a little bit and it was really fucking early on a Friday morning. Yeah he was just going to let Bubba sleep for a bit.

He managed to grab a pair of boxers and a tank top with only one minor toe injury in the dark before he silently slipped out into the incredibly short hallway and then the bathroom. 

With the light flicked on he promptly closed the door and turned to face himself in the mirror. He regretted his decision immediately.

Not only was his hair wonky and messed up but his face looked tired too, and he was covered in bite marks.

"Oh joy...Fionna is going to have a blast teasing me about those." He grumbled in response to his own thoughts. Really he only had about three that were visible, it was satisfying actually. Especially since he knew that Bubba was covered in at least twice as many small purple bruises as he was. 

With a smirk on his lips he set the clothes down on the counter and promptly turned on the shower and submerged himself in the steamy water. It ran down his back and eased the tension of the early morning from his muscles one by one. Showers were a beautiful thing, especially first thing in the morning. He grabbed the shampoo and lathered a fair amount on his hands before running it through his tangled and jet black hair. He couldn't stop smiling and he had no idea why.

\------------------------------------------

Bubba generally prided himself on being an early riser. However early did not mean before the sun was up, he usually liked to wake at the same time as the sun and back home his curtains were usually left open so that the warm Californian sun would stream in and wake him. 

Hell was he tired though. His body felt heavy against the bed as he clutched something to his chest and breathed calmly in his sleepy stupor. Sadly that didn't stop the sound of a shower running from flowing into his ear canals and waking up his brain slowly from the dark comfort of a dreamless sleep.

Bubba nuzzled into the pillow he was clutching and tried to block out the noise stubbornly. He inhaled and immediately he smelled a scent that wasn't his own but it was still incredibly comforting and nice. The pillow pressed up against his entire face as he held it impossibly close and inhaled once again.

It smelled like Marshall Lee. It was slightly musky but refreshing and nice. The pillow also smelt very strongly of sex, and upon further recollection Bubba promptly pushed the pillow away from his face and sat up.

He'd slept with Marshall.

Bubba remained in a sitting position as he pondered those words in his head and pursed his lips at the thought. He was trying not to smile and was failing miserably, but it was still shocking. How could you meet someone rather randomly in a different country, and find yourself in their bed only a week later?

He could feel the heat rise up from his neck and slowly bloom in his cheeks as he brought his hand up to drag through the locks of sweat dampened pink hair. He was utterly baffled but in a good way. 

"Astonishment...that’s a nice word." It had a ring to it, both startled but also happy. He was astonished by this circumstance.

Eventually his attention was drawn back to the sound of the shower going in the background and he could barely see the hint of light coming up from under what he assumed was the bathroom door. He untangled his feet from the sheets and released the pillow he had previously been breathing in and swung his legs off to the side of the bed. The time on the clock made him pause and he let out a long sigh before standing. Who in their right mind got up this early voluntarily?

His question was promptly answered as there was sharp knocking on the door of the apartment. Bubba stared at the door knob, which could just barely be seen, from his sitting position. Obviously, Marshall's neighbors enjoyed being up this early, or maybe something had happened?

Knock...Knock...Knock.

Bubba groaned as the sharp knocks sounded again and he stood before hunting about on the floor for a pair of boxers or something to pull on. Answering doors in the nude was completely rude and un-called for. Luckily for him he found a t-shirt and his boxers from the previous night so he quickly slipped them on but-

KNOCK!KNOCK!KNOCK!

"What the hell, could you knock any louder?" he grumbled to himself as he nearly fell over in his morning stupor as he attempted to get his boxers on properly without anything hanging out. He couldn't even finish proper thoughts with the insistent knocking that was now going on. Nothing grated on his nerves more than rude and impatient people.

He practically sprinted down the short hallway before his hand grasped the handle and he flung open the apartment door.

"What?!" His voice came out much sharper and snappier than he intended as he looked at the figure standing outside the door with his fist raised.

Bubba had been fortunate to meet many different kinds of people in his life, however he had never quite met anyone like the man standing in front of him now. His eyes were slightly narrowed and his nose protruded at an incredibly pointed angle and quite far out. Bubba's eyes were drawn to the man's mouth, which was drawn together tightly as if he had been sucking on lemons all morning. Over all this man was... Interesting... And completely bald.

They remained in that stance, staring at each other for quite some time as Bubba pieced together the man in front of him. He was rudely interrupted in his thinking when said man decided to speak.

"Who are you? THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE!"

His voice was the most shrill and terrible thing he had probably ever had the displeasure of hearing. Bubba actually flinched and felt himself frown at the tone.

"Excuse me?" He stared wide-eyed at the man in front of him only to get a bony finger shoved in his face.

"UNACCEPTABLE !"

Bubba was forced to step back a ways away from the man and his finger that was currently in his face. Never once had he been yelled at by such a sour and cranky old man, nor had he ever heard a man with such a strained and high pitched yell. He honestly would not have been surprised if the entire floor was woken up by the noise.

"WHAT IS THIS?! WHY ARE YOU...HUUUNNNGGHH!!!?” He couldn't even finish his sentence as he gestured to, well essentially all of Bubba and made a pained expression. Now, he had never thought that he looked terrible, and he HAD managed to put on clothes before answering the door. It was completely lost on him how all of him could be unacceptable in any way.

"You just gestured to all of me?!" His own voice rose in confusion at the encounter he was having. The sun wasn't even up yet and he already felt like he should head straight back to bed.

Just as the man sucked on his bottom lip in a way that looked painful and it seemed that he was going to unleash yet another outburst, Bubba felt a cold and slightly damp arm slide around his waist and pull him backwards away from the door frame. His head snapped up to look over his shoulder a little wide-eyed only to see Marshall.

Marshall in nothing but a towel with dark wet hair still plastered to his face.

"Sup Mr. Lemon face. Didn't expect to hear your voice at the butt crack of dawn. Nor do I want to hear it, if you have a problem complain to the landlord." Marshall just rolled his eyes at the man that seemed about ready to implode or explode or...Bubba really wasn't sure what he was going to do actually. It was obvious that the man was not breathing though, which actually made him start to worry and he gently touched Marshall on the back of his hand.

"Wait is he okay?"

"Oh yeah he's fine. Well mostly."

"I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH YOU BRINGING HOME STRANGERS AND MAKING LOUD AND UNACCEPTABLE NOISES AT LATE HOURS!  UNACC-"

"Unacceptable! Unacceptable! Absolutely completely-" Marshall had started yelling the words back at the man before he took a deep breath and just let it out with a chuckle. "Yeah sorry man i don't really care. Go drink something and chill." He promptly slammed the door in the man’s face and there was a loud thud as it probably connected with the man’s forehead. Well more likely it managed to hit his nose first. Marshall didn't even seem to care as he just slipped his hand out of Bubba's grasp and headed back towards the bathroom.

Bubba was rather stunned by the whole encounter and he could hear the slight whining of the man on the other side of the door before the sounds of footsteps receded down the hallway.

"Umm....Marshall? Pardon my language but, what the actual fuck?" He motioned from the door to Marshall and back to the door. it was only about five thirty in the morning, he had just gotten yelled at by someone he had never met in the strangest way possible, and Marshall was STILL only wearing a towel. "Explanation? Please and thank you?"

Marshall had ducked back into the bathroom so he promptly peeked his head back around the corner with a raised eyebrow.

"Who, that? That’s just Mr. Lemongrab. He lives next door and constantly throws a fit about everything I do but nobody really cares about his complaints. He won't do any harm. Unless of course you count the harm to our eardrums." Bubba watched as he just shrugged nonchalantly and then went back into the bathroom. He felt overwhelmed, and he was still half asleep so he ended up following Marshall into the small bathroom.

He was still a little wide-eyed and confused as he met Marshall's gaze in the mirror.

"You look both confused and disgusted at the same time Bubs. I gotta say not many people can pull that face and still look hot. Kudos to you." Marshall chuckled and ran a comb through his hair to try and get the wet stands to not plaster themselves to his eyeballs as Bubba looked at himself in the mirror. He did look rather disgusted.

"H-How am i supposed to react Marsh? Please tell me...because it's still dark out and I just got yelled at by...I don't even know." he threw his arms up and heaved an exasperated sigh before slapping the palm of his hand into his forehead. It was truly, way too early for anything like this.

Marshall moved and soon enough Bubba felt his chin being tilted up as Marshall grinned deviously at him and cool but smooth fingers slipped under the hem of his shirt and rubbed against the skin at his waist. It really pissed him off for some reason that Marshall was actually enjoying this hectic morning.

"Stop smiling, you're irritating me." he grumbled and crossed his arms over his t-shirt covered chest.

"Oh my, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Are you really that sore Bubs?" There was a loud smack as the back of Bubba's hand connected with the other male's arm in response to the previous comment. He felt his anger rise slightly but his lips also twitched upwards with slight amusement at the ridiculousness of the situation, and also Marshall's laughter was contagious.

"Marshall Lee you will shut up this instant! Stop laughing I am completely serious right now." Marshall continued to laugh and even gripped the side of the sink as he doubled over slightly.

"Y-You don't...Look serious!" his words were broken up by bubbling laughs as Bubba fought the grin that wanted to spread across his face at the sound of the laughter. He scoffed to cover it up and shoved the dark-haired man out of his way before he moved to the shower and turned it on.

"Screw you."

"We already did, unless you're game for another round before I go to work." 

Bubba really wished the bar of soap he threw had connected with Marshall's face. It would have been way more satisfying than when it just hit him in the chest.

\------------------------------------------------------

The morning had been incredibly eventful but he had managed to make it to work on time in order to open the shop. Much to Marshall's displeasure, Fionna did enjoy teasing him about the few kiss marks he had managed to acquire on his neck and collarbone. However he had been right about Bubba having far more. That had probably been the most entertaining part of the morning, when Bubba had emerged from the shower and saw the dark marks on his neck and chest and jaw in the mirror. Priceless expression and the only way he got Bubba to calm down was to kiss him senseless and then run off to work.

Luckily for him and Fionna the day had been uneventful but definitely not slow. Bubba had decided to show up later since he wanted to hang around the house for a little bit until the sun actually decided to rise. Marshall couldn't complain since Bubba had decided to snuggle up in pink sweatpants and one of HIS black band t-shirts and he just about had a heart attack from how adorable he looked before he had left for work. Marshall was a sucker for other boys wearing his shirts, especially if they looked too big which had been the case.

Essentially he'd had to leave in a hurry before he accidentally took Bubba back to the bedroom and made himself late for work. It had brightened his whole day, metaphically since it was quite cloudy out, when Bubba had shown up a bit later in the afternoon and just hunkered down with a book in one of the corner booths. 

"Yo, snap out of it man." A food tray hit him lightly on the back of his head and he winced out of habit and re-focused his eyes. Damn he was staring at Bubba again. Marshall straightened up and cleared his throat.

"Ouch, violent much today?" He jokingly rubbed the back of his head and gave Fionna a look as she put her hands on her hips.

"I can make it hurt more if you want." Marshall paled.

"No thank you! I will take that as my cue to go check up on tables then." he stole the tray from her grasp and moved gracefully out of her reach and away from their shared counter space.

"Hey! We're not done talking, don't get distracted you slacker! The stage needs to be set up soon!" She called after him a bit sternly and he just stuck his tongue out in response as he weaved around small tables and headed straight towards the booth at the back where a prince in pink sat reading who knows or cares what? Marshall approached him from behind and leaned down sneakily before he spoke suddenly in the man’s ear and blew on it.

"Boo."

"Ahhh HOLY SHIT!" Bubba literally jumped in his seat and a hand flew up to the back of his neck as he spun around. Marshall though he would die he laughed so hard. His sides ached slightly and he leaned over the table as he caught his breath in pants.

"Bubba, oh my god! You kill me." He chuckled and wiped a fake tear from his eye before he met the scathing look he was on the receiving end of.

"Marshall that was not entertaining. What if I had spilt my drink? Act more professionally at work." He couldn't take the male seriously when his cheeks were such a tasty shade of pink that nearly matched his hair color.

"Awh don't be like that Bubs. You're fun to scare, plus that was way too easy." he stuck his tongue out and rested his chin on the table as he stared at him. He could feel Fionna's stare from across the room but he pretended not to notice the fact that it made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.

"You're going to get in trouble, you are an idiot. I've already watched Fionna hit you five times during your shift." Bubba's eyes flicked out his shoulder but Marshall didn't budge from his position leaned over the table.

"Hah, oh come on! She hits like a girl it's not that bad-OW FUCK!" Marshall slumped to his knees and cradled the back of his head with his hands. Fionna stood over him with a new tray in her hands which had connected not so softly with the back of his head again.

"You want to say that again jerk?" She huffed a bit angrily before looking at Bubba and smiling.

"Hey, sorry if he's disturbing your reading and all of that. He's supposed to be working!" She shot Marshall a look and he just glared back as he continued to hold the back of his head.

"Holy hell Fi...I think you broke my noggin. I'm bleeding...am i bleeding? You killed me, my head is bleeding and I'm going to die."

"Oh don't be such a drama queen Marshall. At most you'll probably have a large bump and a headache."

"Serves you right." Bubba commented dryly from where he sat, although a quick glance confirmed that he at least looked a bit worried. Just a bit. Fionna just laughed before she grabbed Marshall by the back of his shirt and started dragging him back towards the counter.

"Come on, back to work with you."

"Nooooo I don't want to. Bubba help me! This is mistreatment of employees and my head hurts! Wait...I'm like your manager Fionna you can't treat me like this!" His pleas were ignored by Bubba who promptly went back to sipping his chai tea latte and reading and Marshall was reduced to small grumblings and pouting. He was essentially put on counter duty and not allowed to leave or wait on any tables near Bubba. 

He ended up waiting mostly on an older woman that sat near Bubba's table but far enough away that he couldn't actually talk to him. It was rather annoying because the woman kept making small comments towards him about how nice he looked and honestly she was kind of creeping him out a bit. He'd taken over the table since Fionna had been having a hard time getting along with the woman. Besides the slight creepiness he was fine with her though.

"Marshall! I need more iced coffee." He rolled his eyes at her demanding tone before he went over and grabbed her empty cup and saucer.

"That will be an extra five dollars added to your tab, are you okay with that?" She waved a hand at him and he shrugged and went to get her more. Her bill was getting quite enormous and he couldn't understand why she had been there for so long. She'd actually been there as long as Bubba had, but at least Bubba had a reason to hang out there. She didn't even have a book or laptop and it was really kind of weird.

Marshall wasn't really one to let things bother him though so he simply let it slide and brought her yet another iced coffee, which was another strange thing. It wasn't really warm outside today at all, it was actually kind of chilly and yet she was ordering iced drinks. At one point she just ordered ice in a cup and he had seen her eating it as if it was normal, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen her before either, but he let it slip because he had more important things to worry about. Like the growing bump on the back of his head.

As confused and strange as that lady was it was soon time for the Friday night open mic session. There were several musicians who entered the Café and asked if they could go up as soon as it was set up. One group had pre-scheduled a time to play some soft jazz music.

Business had slowed down as patrons settled in and listened to the music, clapping after each short song. Marshall also settled in on his stool as he leaned against the counter. Music was universal and perfect. Despite his preference for rock songs, jazz was also suitable and the band was quite good at keeping a light an pleasant atmosphere. Some customers were even drawn in from outside by the sound.

"They're fairly good." The voice behind him startled him and Marshall turned to watch Bubba as he sat on the stool next to him and nodded towards the small stage area. His book had a bookmark neatly placed inside and had been slid onto the counter. His gaze drifted over the male before looking back towards the stage.

"Yeah they are, although jazz isn't really my cup of tea babe." He chuckled and thought about the rock music he liked the best, it was definitely not jazzy.

"You should go up and play." the suggestion came out of nowhere and Bubba seemed slightly flustered by it himself but it made Marshall grin like an idiot.

"Oh? Why? Didn't you just say that the jazz band was good?" Bubba looked away and shrugged as he fiddled with the edge pages of his book. Marshall could have watched him for hours, but that would be creepy. Really creepy and it would probably make Bubba not want to be near him anymore... he scratched the idea immediately.

"I haven't heard you play since I met you though." Marshall recalled their meeting and he snickered at remembering how quickly he had completely offended Bubba.

"Right, and i completely offended you right after I got done playing too." he chuckled and looked towards the stage again as he thought about playing in front of everyone tonight. He also had a duty to the cafe and there were a lot of eager performers tonight. He slowly formulated a different plan in his head and eyed Bubba sneakily from the corner of his eye.

"I could give you a private show when we get home? After all what would we do if I accidentally wooed the entire crowd because I was too charming?" his lips quirked upwards with a smile at Bubba exasperated expression. "Come on Bubs, I'll play for just you tonight, I promise. I'll sing you to sleep with my angelic voice."

........

And he did, that night they lounged on Marshall's bed together as he gently strummed at the cords of his red guitar and plucked out a melody off the top of his head. It was relaxing and Bubba ended up with his arms draped across his thigh and his head cushioned there as well.

Marshall chuckled at the male and continued playing until he also felt his eyelids droop with much needed sleep. He regretted that he'd had to spend the majority of his day at work, but tomorrow he only had to work a half shift. They would have more time together then. He fell asleep awkwardly tangled with Bubba's limbs, but that was the beauty of it. They were both completely;

Comfortable.  
  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Between college applications and school work and my job, I'm' essentially running around constantly...  
> I'm so sorry for the delays in my story but ill hopefully keep getting these chapters up! Next chapter is the final plot arch and the end of the fluff muwahaha
> 
> Also I'm sorry this chapter seems a bit rushed to me :C


	17. Footsteps

Everything was warm and nice and he felt the wonderful tingles of pleasure making their way up and down his spine in slow rolling waves. Marshall didn't know what he did to deserve this but he begged for it not to stop as he felt the softness of his own breath passing through his lips. 

"Ahh...damn." He could hear how slurred and groggy his voice sounded from sleep as it vibrated in his throat. Marshall blinked and became aware of why he was feeling so good as he fought to keep his eyes open and felt the sensation that was unmistakably a hot tongue on his hard on. He paused and caught his breath in his throat as he both took in this information and the sight he was met with as he blinked his bleary eyes.

There lay Bubba, pink hair a complete gorgeous mess with one hand curled loosely around his base of his cock and his red tongue out and slicked with saliva. Holy shit, he was going to die. Never before had he awoke to such an attractive and stimulating sight in his entire life. Marshall groaned and arched his hips off the bed, though he was unsure whether it was out of pleasure or frustration.

"Fucking hell Bubba."

"Good morning to you too." His voice sounded so sassy and amused that Marshall was tempted to give him a sarcastic response but that was promptly stalled as he felt that hot tongue once again slide teasingly up the side of his length. It was enough stimulation to cause him to shiver slightly as his still slightly sleep numb hands gripped the sheets. Yeah he couldn't even attempt sarcasm right now, not between his sleep addled brain and the sensations that were coursing through his body.

Marshall looked the devious man in the eyes before watching this wonderful morning site unfold in front of him as Bubba slowly took him in his mouth and bobbed his head rhythmically. Hell it didn't even matter how good it felt, although that was a definite plus, it looked a million times better. His sleep confused brain was barely able to keep up with the pace and before long he was unable to control his own hips as his jaw clenched and undeniable pleasure coursed up his spine and through his body.

"ahh fuck..." he cursed softly as his eyes closed and he savored the feeling of not only his orgasm but also the warm feeling that followed it. The one that had nothing to do with sex or pleasure, but had to do with the fact that he woke up with someone still here. With someone willing to surprise him with a morning blow job. It was the warmth of Bubba. Which was intensified when said pink-haired man was suddenly half laying on him.

"You know you could have warned me you were close." Marshall opened his eyes and gave the man the most amused expression he could muster at whatever the hell time it was in the morning.

"Says the man who didn't give ME any warning." He chuckled and watched as Bubba's cheeks turned a dusty red shade. God everything felt so warm, even though it was the fall in Canada he felt like it might as well have been the summer in Arizona. He watched as Bubba rested his chin on his arms that were draped over his own chest. He ignored the slight discomfort that the added weight caused, because despite that it was nice.

"Sorry, I just...well you were hard and I figured..." Bubba trailed off awkwardly and pursed his lips to fight off the grin that was spreading across his face. Marshall didn't even try to hide his own grin as he watched Bubba flush. Laughter was soon to follow, and like the contagious thing it was it wasn't long before they were both laughing with each other with a few playful shoves thrown into the mix.

Marshall sat up enough so that he could lean forward and press a tender kiss the Bubba's temple before promptly flopping backwards again.

"Thank you my sugar coated prince." He smirked even as he felt his own chest get pleasantly tighter inside. Bubba just raised one pink eyebrow at him and snorted.

"Sugar coated prince? Where the hell did that even come from? I know you enjoy strange nicknames but really Marshall." Marshall grinned and ran his fingers through his own tangled dark hair as he shrugged.

"Well, I call you gumball right?" The affirmative nod spurred him on in his explanation. "Your pink hair and general brighter and pink themed wardrobe just reminds me of candy so that's where Gumball came from. But, bubs lets be honest you're kind of stuck up." He grinned and laughed when his arm was smacked.

"I am not!"

"Hey hey! Let me finish Gumbutt!" Marshall chuckled and grabbed the man’s hands to keep him from smacking him as he continued his explanation.

"Anyway, you act spoiled and rich so prince fits just fine and well, I wouldn't mind coating you in sugar at all." Bubba just rolled his eyes and teasingly brought one of Marshall's hands up to his mouth the bite it softly. It didn't even hurt and Marshall found himself amused by that.

"Wow that didn't even tickle Bubba."

"Good, it wasn't supposed to hurt."

"That's no fun, you're like a fucking kitten."

"Since when do you have a pain kink you weirdo?" Marshall rolled his eyes at the comment and reached over to flick Bubba on the forehead.

"It's not a pain kink it’s a biting kink. You're the weirdo. At least get your sexual references straight." He smirked at the other male when he winced slightly at the flicking.

"Yes, because everything about anything sexual in our situation is straight." Marshall blinked before snickering at Bubba.

"Hah I guess that would be true. Come 'ere you sassy prince." Marshall cupped the side of the other male’s neck softly and pulled him closer for a quick lip lock. He savored it, but apparently Bubba had a slightly different reaction as he pulled away and made a face. Marshall frowned.

"What?"

"You're breath stinks. Go brush your teeth." Marshall rolled his eyes and leveled a bored state upon the other man.

"Says the one who had his mouth on my dick not ten minutes ago. I'm not complaining." Bubba made another face and pushed himself off of Marshall and into a relatively stable standing position. He could only watch lazily as Bubba stopped and held out his hand expectantly.

"Come on get up Marshall." His fingers ran through his dark hair as he looked at Bubba in confusion.

"Why? It's Saturday and I don't have a shift until later if anything at that."

"To brush your teeth. Honestly we just discussed this two seconds ago." His eyes rolled to the left as he proceeded to wrap himself up farther into the blankets and comfortable warmth.

"Nope, too comfy. Who needs to brush their teeth anyway?" He trailed off and settled back into the soft covers with his eyes closed.

Maybe he should have felt the inevitable doom coming before it struck, but that was nearly impossible since that was like trying to predict lightening. Before he could really regret his words the covers had been stripped back and he watched in horror as Bubba grasped both of his ankles from the base of the bed.

'W-wait Bubba no! AH!" He was unable to hold back his yelp as Bubba yanked hard on his ankles and pulled him clear off of the end of the bed. There was a resounding thump as his feet hit the floor, followed quickly by his back and last but not least his head. The room spun slightly as he groaned and stared at the ceiling in confusion and agitation.

"Get up you lazy ass, i sucked your dick now brush your teeth." Bubba snorted in amusement and promptly turned and left the room. Marshall was left to grumble and crawl to his feet by himself.

He tugged his boxers up and wandered into the bathroom after Bubba, whom was already brushing his teeth like the snobby prince he was. Honestly who yanks their boyfriend out of bed on a Saturday just to force them to brush their teeth?. Marshall stood behind the taller male and promptly drew his hand back before smacking Bubba hard on the ass.

"Owhm!! Marsnall! I av oothvrushn min my mouff!" He snickered at the slurred and barely discernible words that left Bubba's mouth.

"Hmn and I was comfortable in bed, I guess we are both making sacrifices this morning huh Bubs?" His sarcastic smile could be seen in the mirror right over Bubba's shoulder as their eyes locked.

Bubba promptly scowled and ignored him and luckily they made it through the rest of the morning without too many problems. Marshall questioned fundamentally why he'd decided to chase after Bubba and entrap him in his life like this when they seemed to bicker so much. At least he didn't take any of it too seriously; but then again how did Bubba see it? 

He made a point of observing the pink themed male as they made it through the Saturday morning and found their way to the small living room couch without too much bickering. If he was being honest then Marshall knew he couldn't go more than five minutes without teasing Bubba about something. It was entirely too tempting and satisfying.

As it was their Saturday morning was spent watching Disney movies as Bubba half laid on top of him on the couch. It was comfortable and it was what he'd always done with Marceline anyway on some Saturday mornings, so he couldn't figure why he should break the habit. Although Bubba seemed more into the movie than he was, but that was also fine. Marshall had taken to running his fingers through the thin but soft locks of pink hair. Since it wasn't styled upwards today it was actually possible to run his fingers through it endlessly. Besides he'd already seen Treasure Planet like six or seven times, he could practically quote the whole damn thing.

In fact he did chime in with quotes occasionally. Luckily he managed not to hum the main theme too loudly when it came on. In reality he really did love this movie, because it kind of held an importance to him. Especially with the ties between Jim's dad leaving and well...his own family situations. It was uplifting, knowing that he could still go out on great adventures even though things might not have started out the best. That sounded incredibly sappy to him though, so he feigned disinterest in the movie.

Bubba shifted slightly on top of him and tilted his head back so that they could somewhat make eye contact. However it was kind of creepy because it was half upside down and Bubba's neck was at a rather strange angle in order to look at him. He tried not to think about it too much.

"Why do you like this movie so much?" Marshall raised an eyebrow at him and shrugged at the question.

"I don't know. It has an interesting story I guess, and a main character that isn't your perfect little kid or whatever..."he idly twisted a strand of Bubba's hair around his finger and watched it curl perfectly. Bubba was too sharp for his own good sometimes.

"Interesting...I never pegged you as the type to actually want a plot."

Marshall made a face and leaned forward to give Bubba a look as he tugged lightly on the strand of hair.

"Wow, someone is being judgmental. Are you stereotyping me Bubble butt?"

"Oh god you did not just call me that..." Marshall smirked and shifted their positions so that Bubba's head was resting on his stomach and he could actually lean forwards over him.

"I think I did. What cha gonna do about it?" His grin stretched across his face as Bubba purses his lips and scowled.

"Certainly not treat you in the mornings anymore. Your nicknames get ruder every hour." He rolled his eyes and closed the gap to capture Bubba's lips in a soft kiss before he mumbled against them.

"Shut up, my nicknames for you are hot and you know it."

Needless to say they forgot about their Disney movie for a bit as they became much more preoccupied with each other. Marshall didn't mind, he preferred it actually, then again who doesn't prefer kissing over Disney or anything even remotely g rated? Especially since he did have to go to work later might as well get his fill of Bubba while he could.

\---------------------

Despite their morning shenanigans, Bubba was actually ended up enjoying some quiet time as he curled up on the sofa with his book on string theory. Marshall had already left for work and he had decided to spend some time with his love for all things scientific. As much as he enjoyed spending the morning with Marshall, he didn't quite feel like accompanying the male to his work again. Actually he had contemplated going out and doing some window shopping, or maybe checking out nearby shopping complex or even the local bakeries. He loved pastries. 

A quick glance at the clock confirmed that the day was already transferring into the late afternoon. If he didn’t go now then the bakeries would definitely be closed before he got his lazy ass off the couch. 

He closed his book with a resolute snap as he felt himself smile. Yes he was going to go visit some bakeries and maybe bring some back for Marshall when that teasing jerk would get off work.

Not that he was mad at Marshall or anything, it was just an honest description. A teasing, bothersome, attractive, yet subtlety nice man. Very attractive and sexy, and funny, but still a bother at times.

Bubba stretched his arms over his head and popped his back as he contemplated the contradictions that made up the man named Marshall Lee. His thoughts continued in a disconnected pattern as he got off the couch, grabbed his coat and wallet and left the apartment; making sure to take the spare key that had been Marceline's, with him. 

It was exhilarating, and brought far too much heat to his cheeks whenever he would think about the fact that he was living... Quite suddenly, with Marshall. It seemed surreal, like he would wake up from a dream and be back at home. Maybe he was in a coma?

Bubba quickly dismissed those thoughts as he checked his ability to smell the world and feel it clearly rather than the symptoms of a dream-like state. No, this was definitely real life as his pink sneaker clad feet struck the pavement rhythmically. He could hear it all clearly, and he could remember that morning and the first night. The heat returned in full force to his cheeks as he exited the apartment complex and headed down the sidewalk. He needed to stop thinking about sex. Now.

He wasn't sure where he was going, but downtown near the cafe sounded good enough. There were a lot of shops there, including of course a doughnut shop. His interest however was in the Swiss bakery he had seen a ways down the street, and also the dumpling house. He felt his mouth begin to salivate as he continued to think about the wonderful food.

Once again they circulated back to the cafe, the Chai latte's... And of course Marshall. Without fail whenever Bubba thought of the Cafe, he thought of Marshall. Also without fail, he would start to grin uncontrollably and have to cover his mouth to hide it. He couldn't help it, and it was really embarrassing but he was just incredibly happy about the whole thing.

"Stop being so stupid Bubba... It's just a thing..."he paused in his walking and groaned before dropping his own forehead into his open palm. Who the hell was he kidding, this was not just a 'thing'. He'd gone and fallen head over heels for the man working at a cafe in another country. He was so dumb and the one fact he always managed to conveniently forget, was the part where he would have to return to California.

As much as he had enjoyed his stay in Canada so far, he was meant for sunny weather. The beaches and the warm sun and mild winters; that was where he belonged not in the frozen land of maple syrup and moose. It was also the land of Marshall though, the land of a warm bed with a comforting embrace that he had found. A place where he would smile like an idiot just walking down the street. Somehow he never dwelled on the idea of his return for long. It was impossible not to know that at least a temporary goodbye would happen eventually.

Bubba picked up his rhythmic walking pace again and rounded a corner onto a street that headed towards the cafe. He didn't feel like riding to TTC there. After all they said fresh air was good for clearing your head. Apparently for him it was only good for befuddling his thoughts and making him embarrassed at his own guttered mind. He absently shot Marshall a text, telling him that he was going to get some pastries and stop by the Café near the end of his shift, he might as well let him know.

He was no stranger to love or sexual relations but, this was just different. Marshall, was admittedly just different from the rest. In the best way. Truthfully in a slightly annoying way, but a good kind of annoying... Sort of. Whatever, Marshall was Marshall and that was that.

Really though he should stop thinking about it so much. Bubba chided himself for his scattered thoughts as he looked around at his surroundings. He'd though that he had been headed in the right direction, and he could hear people in the street up ahead so that was a good sign. As soon as he found that bakery he was definitely going to dig in and taste as many pastries as he could afford, Marshall could have the leftovers if he wanted. It occurred to the pink-haired male that he should potentially buy the man something with strawberries, since he had such an affinity for them.

His feet hit the pavement, one after the other. Until another sound joined them, matching his steps perfectly except for the sound that accompanied it. It was higher pitched then the sound of his sneakers and as he slowed to a stop so did the other sounds.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he debated turning around and looking behind himself. He could see the people walking by just a few blocks away, talking loudly with the afternoon lunch rush. It was all so close and yet he had the sinking feeling that he wasn't going to make it there. He attempted to swallow around the tightness he felt in his throat as he turned around.

Bubba scanned the alleyway from top to bottom before he promptly turned and started walking down again. Faster this time. He heard the higher pitched steps pick up again and closed his eyes for a moment as his walks sped up. 

This alleyway had not been this long when he’d first entered it. Bubba swore that it was becoming more and more stretched out the longer he walked along it. 

His hand fumbled for his phone before he sent a quick text to Marshall followed by another one. He felt so on edge, and yes he was tall and not weak but it was…something about those steps was intimidating. Haunting.

And then they stopped.

Bubba slowed his pace as he looked over his shoulder at the empty street that lay behind him. It was dark, but not pitch black and it was still empty. The sounds of heels were gone. He was alone in the alleyway, there was nothing there. Had he freaked himself out for nothing? Had he really just been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he had imagined someone was following him?

His head buzzed with thoughts and general confusion as he stared frozen at the empty, silent street that lay stretched out behind him. Bubba shook his head and laughed it off nervously.

“God Bubba…One week in Canada and you’re going crazy!” He chuckled nervously to himself before turning around.

Only to come face to face with someone slender and tall standing less than a foot away from him. He couldn’t help his surprised yelp as he was taken completely by surprise. 

"You’re so cute when you’re scared!”

His eyes went wide as his stomach dropped and a hand closed too tightly around his wrist and another one shoved a rag over his mouth. He struggled and jerked away from his attacker but they were strong. Oddly strong for someone who looked so thin but it wasn't long before his vision swam and the scent of raspberries filled his nose and head and clouded his judgment.

Seconds ticked by before he felt his cheek connect with cold concrete and the scent of raspberries hung over all of his thoughts and wrapped itself around him. Marshall too, became distant in his head....and his thoughts quieted completely and blackness set in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this took me way too long to write...I literally have no time and I am still swamped with work. Updates will be slow but hopefully by December I'll be able to update once a week again for you guys! ^^   
> Thanks for the comments they really do help me get my butt working on this C:
> 
> ....Also I APOLOGIZE FOR THE CLIFF HANGER!!! But this is the main plots...so I should be finishing this archa dn thenw rapping it up soonish! (meaning like in several months haha....-facedesk-)


	18. Missing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR! I know it has been A LONG time since ive updated this story. But I have not abandoned it and to prove it you have a New Year chapter update C:  
> Thank you for reading and Happy 2014!

Marshall had nearly been late to work again due to his pink haired prince, as he was now calling him. He'd had to run into the shop and quickly move to the back to get his apron and wash up for the job. Stupid Bubba with his distracting kissing skills. Fionna wasted no time in teasing him about why he was late and he simply rolled his eyes at her and quickly went to fill drink orders and wait on Cafe tables and patrons. In her defense, she was completely correct in her assumption of why he was late, so Marshall took the teasing in stride.

Interestingly enough, the strange woman was back yet again at one of his tables, and though he dreaded getting her a billion iced coffees he did go serve her table to spare Fionna the pain of doing so. After all, Fionna was helping him cover for Marceline's shifts while she was gone this week, so he owed her at least this much.

"What can I get for you today? An iced coffee? Or ten?" His jibes were purely made for the comedic purpose, he didn't actually care how much she ordered from their Cafe. After all, it just meant more money for them in the end.

"Oh just one please. For now." She cackled and grinned at him with teeth that were just too white. Really though they were almost glowing they were so white, it was a little unnerving.

"Coming right up then." He jotted down the note and promptly went to get her an iced coffee. Fionna got his attention and made a funny face in an attempt to impersonate the elderly woman and he nearly spilled the coffee he was making it was so ridiculous. With of roll of his eyes and a small chuckle he elbowed his coworker before returning to the table with the drink.

"There you are. If you need anything just get my attention."

"Oh I don't need something but I can't help my curiosity." She stirred the iced coffee absently with her spoon as she grinned down at it. The way she did it, was too deliberate and her tone of voice sent a shiver up Marshall's spine.

"Yes?" His response was hesitant at best; She was really freaking him out today.

"I was just wondering where your friend was today. The one that always hangs out in the back booth with a book, the little cutie with pink hair." Marshall didn't like where this was going and he found himself frowning slightly. Rolling his shoulders back he shrugged nonchalantly. "He wanted to stay at the apartment today, he said he might stop by later though. Why are you so curious?" He crossed his arms over his chest and stood a bit taller. First off this woman was way too old for Bubba, and secondly he just didn't like the way she talked about him as if he were, something to collect.

"Oh no reason, I just like seeing you young men interact! I'll call you if I need anything!" She waved her hand dismissively at him while taking a drink of her iced coffee; swallowing the ice cubes whole along with the drink. Marshall cringed slightly at the sight before he turned quickly on his heel and headed back over the the main counter where Fionna was taking an order. He waited for her to finish before leaning down to murmur to her.

"That lady over there gets freakier every day I swear." Fionna glanced over and made a face before shrugging.

"Well yeah, I mean look at her dude. She probably lives all alone with about twenty cats. She reeks of weirdness constantly." Marshall pursed his lips and glanced back over at her before he grabbed a rag and started to wipe off the counter. Something about her set him on edge, but he let it go from his mind. It wasn't like him to be so paranoid over something like this so he didn't let it bother him further. Hour by hour he made it through the half shift until he got a text from Bubba.

"Oh cool. Hey Fi, Bubba is heading over but he's going to stop and get some pastries. You want anything?" He grinned at the prospect of a jelly filled doughnut. Maybe if he asked nicly enough and promised some returned favors then Bubba would gladly pick up some extra sweets. Or he would be too flustered and stubbornly refuse. Either way was a win in Marshall's mind.

"Awesome! Tell him to get some cream puffs! Or doughnuts." Marshall nodded and started to reply to the message before he was promptly waved over to a table. He left the message to reply to a bit later and went to wait on tables.

As he passed by a row of tables with sone drink orders he noticed that the woman was gone, money of the correct amount placed neatly on the table. Marshall frowned but collected it before counting it twice and shrugging. He'd expected her to stay longer than that but clearly she had left in a hurry. Not that it meant much to him as long as she didn't pull an eat and run on them then she was allowed to leave whenever she pleased.

With calmness in his steps he walked back to the main counter and looked at his phone. The crowd was wrapping up for the day so it was alright to slack off now plus that's what he was good at. He texted Bubba back a confirmation only to have his typing interrupted by a text from the man himself. The tone that the message took on was urgent and Marshall's brow furrowed in confusion. Bubba felt like he was being followed? Nervously Marshall sent a message asking where Bubba was. The response he got several minutes later was jumbled up letters. Unknowingly he'd began to pace behind the counter.

"Whoa there bro, you okay?" Fionna hopped up onto a stool and raised an eyebrow at Marshall in concern. He simply shook his head and took off his apron.

"Gonna make a phone call really fast..." He left his post and went to the men's bathroom before trying to call Bubba multiple times. Despite how many times he tried, he got a dial tone saying that the phone was unreachable due to connection problems. Minutes turned into hours as he continued to call Bubba and get no response. As realization set in he pocketed his phone and went to grab his coat before dashing out of the bathroom. He saw Fionna open her mouth and simply cut her off with his own words.

"Bubba is missing. Something happened I'm going to look for him, I'll be back soon." He offered no other explanation as he buttoned his coat and promptly left the Cafe at a jogging pace. The red sign gleamed behind him in the quickly darkening streets, as if taunting him with its appeal. Ignoring the cafe completely he headed along towards where the bakeries were, long since closed as soon as the sun got close to setting.

Desperately he looked through the crowds of people for the familiar pink hair and jacket that was unmistakably Bubba. As he failed to find him the farther he got from the cafe the tighter the knot in his stomach became. He'd lost Bubba. Something had happened and Bubba was gone, or taken or worse..

With a growl he refused to entertain thoughts like that and quickly whipped out his phone and dialed the police as he headed back towards the cafe. This was very bad, especially since Bubba was a foreigner in Canada. He continued to worry himself near sick as he walked back to the cafe and started talking to the police. When he returned Fionna had already started closing up the cafe for both of them and he hung up right as he entered the premise.

"Did you find him?" Marshall simply shook his head in silence and moved over to the counter. He sunk down into one of the stools and buried his face in his hands as dread made itself at home in his lower stomach. "I don't know where he is Fi. I fucking lost my boyfriend." His reply was strained as Marshall struggled for composure. This was no time for him to be panicking, not when Bubba needed him.

"What makes you think he got kidnapped?" A strong but soft hand reached down and rubbed his back slowly as he filled her in on the text messages and his conversation with the police. He made sure that he had her up to date on all of the details because Fionna was really good at helping people out. Even if he was bad at asking for help even Marshall knew when he needed it.

Soon after he had explained to her the police showed up and Marshall and Fionna informed the cops of everything as well. Eventually Marshall made his way over to a booth and slumped down into it as the cops went out searching for the missing male. They had assured him that they would do an on foot search but since it hadn't been twenty four hours since he went missing that they couldn't do an extensive search for Bubba. He sat in that booth for hours as the cops searched, however as soon as it started raining they returned to give up on the search for the day. The only thing they had managed to retrieve was Bubba cell phone from the side walk where it had been smashed by what appeared to be a sharp shoe heel. Marshall was asked to identify if it was the missing persons phone and he confirmed it. That was the reason bubs hadn't picked up, his phone was smashed to pieces. Someone didn't want Bubba to be found obviously.

Marshall ended up staring at his own phone even after the cops had left and he hovered with his thumb over the call button. He couldn't keep this a secret from Marceline and Bonnie. Despite the fact that he new he was going to get yelled at, he slowly pressed dial and brought the phone up to his ear. The sinking feeling in his gut increased tenfold as the phone rang and rang. It took all of his self control and more to not hang up then and there.

"What the heck do you losers want?" Marceline's voice picked up the phone before she laughed. The ocean could be heard in the background but it did nothing to sooth his nerves. If anything it just made his stomach roll unpleasantly with the sound of the tide. "So what are you calling for Marshall? Miss me?" He swallowed nervously and slowly spoke up.

"Marcy...I need you to put Bonnie on the line."

"...What? Why do you want to talk to Bonbon? Marshall are you okay? You sound like shit." Her tone was still light and he had to pinch his nose as he attempted to hold back emotion. It hadn't been twenty four hours yet, but he had a feeling that that didn't matter. Something had happened to Bubba, and his family deserved to be the first ones to know.

"Please...just put Bonnie on the line. I can't deal with you right now." He grit his teeth in slight frustration.

"What the heck? Rude much, maybe if you asked nicely-"

"MARCELLINEI AM NOT JOKING AROUND RIGHT NOW! GIVE THE FUCKING PHONE TO BONNIE!" Marshall practically snarled into the phone before he caught himself and lifted a hand to cover his own mouth. "Wait Marcy I didn't mean to yell-"

"Whatever...asshole. Here she is."

He groaned at his sisters tone. No doubt he would have to apologize to her later, or maybe not once they heard the news. He couldn't deal with joking or teasing or anything but seriousness right now. Everything else just made him flinch inwards.

"Hello? Marshall? Whats going on?" She was already alarmed it seemed, no doubt by his earlier yelling and he attempted to swallow past the lump in his throat. It wouldn't be any easier to tell her tomorrow, or the day after. It was now that he needed to tell her, otherwise it would be the cops calling their house and then they would hate him forever.

"Bubba is missing."

It came out much firmer than he thought he could pull off, and hopefully his voice didn't shake too badly as he exhaled. Bubba was missing, and now Bonnie knew which meant that at least some of the guilt lifted from his shoulders. Not all of it though. If he'd stayed by Bubba's side then this wouldn't have happened. The people of Toronto were nice, but that didn't mean that there wasn't any crime at all. If Bubba was hurt, even a bit, Marshall would never be able to forgive himself. Ever.

Eventually the silence became too much to bare and he hesitantly called out to the other line, hoping, praying that Bonnie would be okay and not hate him forever.He needed her help, not her animosity if they were going to find Bubba faster.

"Bonnie? Hello....?" He worried his bottom lip endlessly with his teeth and eventually accidentally bit it too hard and caused it to start bleeding as he waited for any kind of response.

"I'm here...D-Did I hear you right? Bubba is...missing? For how long?" Her questions were fast paced and worried and he nodded and filled her in on the time frame as well as the location. Her questions were extensive and as she found out more and more it seemed her voice became tinier and tinier until there was nothing left to say. Marshall remained slumped in the Cafe booth with his head in his hands and the phone on the table on speaker phone.

"How about you?"

He paused and looked at the phone in confusion. "What?"

"How are you? I'm asking if you are okay Marshall." He paused at that question and stared at the phone in silence. He wanted to say yes. Physically he was in perfect condition, could not have been better at that moment. Yet the hollow feeling and the dread....no he wasn't okay.Maybe he would be fine later, but right now...

"Maybe.....but...No not really. I'm not." he dropped his face back into his hands and took a shuddering breath as he fought against the worry he felt. The overwhelming concern and fear that made it nearly impossible to breathe as he realized he may never see Bubba again.

"N-No im not okay....I'm sorry I'm not...are you?" It was a stupid question. Of course they weren't okay at all. Bonnie had more reason to be torn up than he did even. He'd known Bubba for only a week and a half and it still felt like someone had shoved a hot iron rod through his chest and left it there to cool, leaving a solid weight like an iron ball just holding him down.

"No. I'm worried and scared and upset...but you've already called the police and done everything you can for today Marshall... If we're thinking logically then the best thing to do is just...wait. I'll inform my parents once Marceline and I get back to the house...Just head home and try to get some sleep." There was some shuffling of the phone before the line went dead.

By the time he finally moved his shoulders were stiff and locked up and his cheeks were damp. How long had he just been sitting there? In the end it didn't matter as he got up slowly and moved to grab his jacket from the back of the chair before he headed to the door. It was easy enough, mindless even, to switch off the lights in the cafe and head out the front door. Hell he even remembered to lock it before he pulled his coat tighter and started to walk home in the light drizzle. The rain didn't bother him. In fact it never had.

All of the busses and trains had long since stopped running for the night and only the Saturday late night traffic remained. It seemed to only take moments to stumble home to his apartment complex but it was obvious by the way he was soaked to the bone that it had taken much longer. In fact it had taken him an hour and a half to trudge through the rainy streets.

Marshall kicked off his wet shoes and peeled off his clothes layer by layer in a methodical way. Carelessly the layers of apparel fell this way and that onto his apartment floor as he stumbled naked and shivering into the bathroom and eventually the shower. The hot water practically burned him compared to his icy rain drenched skin as he stood shivering under the faucet. Slowly his arms wrapped around his own chest as he stared unblinking at the shower wall.

Bubba was gone. Missing. Kidnappded. Toronto was a huge city and he could be anywhere by now...it had been hours.

Marshall shuddered at the realization and he felt the room spin around him. Hands flew to the walls of the shower to catch himself before Marshall lowered himself to the shower floor in order to fight off the dizziness he felt. Stubbornly he fought the feeling of nausea and dizziness as he turned off the water and stumbled to his feet again.

Everything was just routine as he barely dried himself with a towel and stumbled down the short hallway to his room. With seemingly no engery left in his body, Marshall fell onto the bed and laid there for a moment. His legs hung off, but he couldn't bring himself to adjust or even crawl under the covers for a few moments. Eventually he slowly pulled the covers down before huddling underneath them and hugging a pillow to his chest.

This, was all his fault. He should have been keeping a better eye on Bubba, staying with him all the time.

Silently he cursed himself and his inability to take care of other people. He must have inherited it from his parents, even though he'd tried to take care of Marceline as well as he could. God he didn't even have Marcy here to talk to about the situation.

He pulled the pillow closer and nuzzled his face into it. Mistakenly he took a deep breath, and immidiately the familar smell of cupcakes and quality shampoo filled his nose. Shit. This was the pillow Bubba had been using and it smelled just like him.

Without restraint Marshall hugged the pillow impossibly tight and hid his face in it. He wanted to forget. Either he needed to forget all of this terror and horror he felt, or he needed to find Bubba now. There was no in-between and Bonnibel had been right. He was not okay and there was probably only the one way to fix it.

Slowly he drifted off into a torrent of terrible dreams and stress as he tossed and turned in the sheets. In every dream, no matter how hard he tried. He was never able to save Bubba.


	19. Blame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so I have been hella busy but in order to help me actually relieve stress I've started writing more. I have more chapters on the way and already have the final chapter half written out in a notebook. Thank you for being patient you guys! I am sorry for the wait!

By the time Bubba woke up from the unconsciousness that had been forced upon him he was too disoriented to tell where he was. Everything felt achy and heavy, as if he was weighed down by lead in his veins. Which scientifically would totally kill him.

So slowly....Oh so slowly he lifted his head to peer into the darkness around him to try and get a grip on where he was. Or what had happened.  The most he could remember was the smell of raspberries, but that was probably because the smell still lingered in the caverns of his sinuses. Eventually his eyes were able to focus enough in the room for him to be able to tell that it was definitely dark on purpose and he was facing an old oak door of some kind. No it wasn't oak...Bubba blinked his bleary eyes and realized very mistakenly that he was looking at a glass door. In fact the walls were glass as well, or plastic.

He was unsure but it seemed that the majority of the structure around him was glass and a quick look at the floor determined that it was in fact a mirror. Very quickly he realized, that this was not his house. Nor was it Marshall's apartment.

.....

Oh god Marshall.

Panic flooded his chest and built up bile in the back of his throat, which he quickly fought off with pure willpower and determination.

He'd been on his way to the bakeries and then the café, and he'd never made it. Someone... no not someone. A woman! A woman with long white hair and a high pitched voice had attacked him in the alleyway.

As his brain worked over the details of his kidnapping he simultaneously started pulling at the rope that bound his wrists and ankles to the chair he was perched upon. He absolutely had to get out of here before whoever the hell that woman was returned and did whatever the hell she was going to do to him. He was freaked out beyond his imagination and the more he tugged at the ropes the tighter they seemed to get. That was probably just in his head though.

He hadn't noticed that he was hyperventilating until the sound of fast paced breathing reached his ears and he paused thinking that it was someone else in the room. The breathing also paused and Bubba groaned as he realized it was himself before he forced himself to inhale deeply and calm himself down. This was not the time to panic and doing so would only cause more problems. If he could think and not just act blindly and freak out then he could figure a way out of this.

Slowly he calmed down and then took everything in the room into account. The walls were an ice blue color and now that he wasn't freaking out he could tell that some of them were glass and other were mirrors. His first thought was about how totally unsafe that was, to have giant glass and mirror walls inside a house. What if there was an earthquake and they all shattered?

If he craned his neck then he could see the wall behind him which was a normal brick layer. It didn't take long before looking around between all of the glass and mirrors had him dizzy though. His own reflection stared back at him at what seemed like a billion different angles, looking confused and scared.

To compensate for it he closed his eyes tightly and took another calming breath to try and regain his senses. This room had obviously been built to be confusing and strange and disorienting. If he didn't stare endlessly at the mirrors then logically he would probably be able to get out of here quicker.

The rope against his wrists was rough but if he moved them enough then he figured he could get out of them. It wasn't tight enough to make it impossible so he worked on that for the time being instead of panicking or thinking too much about this kind of situation. It was when he heard the sound of a door closing and then loud echoing footsteps that his pulse picked up again and he started tugging on his wrist restraints tighter.

Everything was of no use as soon enough the door to the room opened smoothly and a woman walked into the space. Bubba recognized her instantly and felt his stomach hollow itself out with the epiphany. Just how long had she been watching him? Planning this? Her cruel smile had him sinking away slightly in terror as her legs carried her towards him with slow determination.

"Oh my sweet prince, you're finally awake."

Oh god oh no. Oh no, oh god. Oh no, no. No. No. Nonononono! Bubba leaned away from her too white skin as she brought a hand up and caressed his cheek. He personally felt like vomiting but managed to hold himself back by biting his lip.

"You slept so long I was worried." She giggled softly and patted his cheek several times before standing up. He eyed her with distrust and shock as his mouth moved up and down trying to form words.

"Oh? Do i leave you speechless? Am I that gorgeous in this dress and this room?" She twirled for emphasis and the blue and white dress she wore and batted her eyelashes at him. Yes he was speechless, but for an entirely different reason. A woman, who was probably in her late 40's had kidnapped him and was treating him as if they were lovers. As if they were...ugh Married.

He barely resisted the urge to visibly gag.

"What the fuck? What...Why did you take me here?!" He'd finally found his voice, but based on her reaction those weren't the words he was supposed to say. Her expression turned angry before she stepped forward and ran her fingers through his hair before tugging harshly on the pink locks of hair to pull his neck backward and make him tilt his chin upwards.

"Because you're my sweet sweet prince. You were so lost and confused with that other silly boy but now you're home." She grinned wide as his neck muscles strained to keep his head at such an awkward angle. Bubba was proud of himself for limiting his reaction to a wince and a strained grunt but that didn't stop his full body shiver when she leaned forward so that her lips were at his ear.

"We're going to be together forever..."

His blood went ice cold at those words. Forever. If he couldn't get out of here...then she was planning to keep him in this sickeningly bright and reflective room for the rest of his life. This woman wasn't bluffing.

"They'll find me..." He whispered the words and in return his hair was yanked harshly before she pulled away completely.

"Hahaha haha! Thats cute Bubba." Her tone didn't seem too amused but her smile was firmly in place. With a little wave she headed towards the door and paused, giving him a menacing look. "Ill be back later honey. You just...sit tight. Hahaha!"

Her voice echoed down hallways before the door to the disorienting room slammed closed and silence permeated his head and the spaces all around him. He was trapped with this psychotic woman somewhere in Canada and nobody knew where. He hadn't gotten into contact with Marshall before he'd been taken...His phone!

Bubba shifted and looked down at his pockets only to find them devastatingly empty. Did this mean that she had his phone? Or did he drop it on the ground when he was grabbed?

Either way he was out of luck without it on him, there was no way to contact anyone from his current position. He was alone.

His shoulders slumped forward as his spirit temporarily deflated. How did this happen. Why did he have to run into the one crazy woman in all of Canada and happen to catch her eye at a cafe...a cafe where he'd met amazing people.

"Shit..." His mind wandered briefly to Marshall and how he must be feeling right about now. Bubba had no idea what time it was but he could tell that it was the afternoon because of the slight amount of sunlight coming through the street view window. How many days had he been asleep? What day was it...

Everything was disorienting and he closed his eyes tightly before starting to rub at the ropes at his wrist again. If he could get these off then he could escape he just...had to get out of this chair...

____________________________________________________________________

Bonnie had prepared herself for her parents reactions when she'd told them what had happened to Bubba, well at least as much as she knew. Her mother had shrieked and started crying, and her father seemed more angry and upset and immediately started asking questions about this so called "Marshall" that Bubba had been staying with.

It had been a tense situation, especially once Marceline stepped in to stand up for her brother. With practice Bonnie managed to diffuse the situation and they were on a plane to Canada the next night, due to arrive in the early early morning.

She sat with an outward calm next to Marceline on the plane ride, although internally she was a complete mess. Her brother, her twin. The one person who had stuck by her her entire life and had shared her love of science and many other things, was gone. In her head she had gone over the chances that he was alive and the probability that he would be returned quickly based on popular statistics, and it looked grim.

True it was more likely that he would be found and returned in Canada than it was in Chicago or another larger US city but...That didn't change the probability by enough. It wasn't enough.

Marceline had fallen asleep with her head resting against the plane window as it looked over the darkness of night. Only the moon shone high in the sky and slightly illuminated the plane and the tops of the clouds.

Bonnie recalled how Marcy had reacted to hearing what had happened and how at first she was just shocked but then she became guilty. After all she had been teasing Marshall on the phone and from when she'd talked to him it was obvious that he was not in the mood for teasing, or anything even remotely like it.

Her chest expanded with a sigh before she closed her eyes and leaned her head back. It was going to be a long flight, another three hours in the sky before they would get to the Toronto airport, and then another hour of driving to get to the more eastern side of the city where the Cafe was. Where Bubba hopefully still was. Safe and not scared and...alive.

As she exhaled and her breath shuddered with suppressed emotions. Crying wasn't going to help. She had told herself that many times and it was true. Crying wasn't going to find Bubba, and it wouldn't help her help other people. It wouldn't make Marceline feel better, and it certainly wouldn't make Marshall feel better once they met up with him.

Bonnie was a bit worried about how her father would react to Marshall. From their earlier conversation it had seemed obvious that their parents were blaming the person who had been taking care of Bubba while he was in Canada. She found it ridiculous since Bubba was an adult now more or less and their parents still hovered over him.

They hovered over her as well, when they weren't busy working. It was strange how they left them alone a lot so that they could work all the time and yet still expected to have the same kind of jurisdiction over their kids lives to the same extent as other parents.

She closed her eyes and let those kinds of thoughts slip away, everyone was just worried for Bubba and she had no reason to be frustrated with their parents right now. Despite their tendencies to get completely absorbed in their work they were still really good parents and they were even more worried than she was. Luckily it wasn't long before she leaned against her girlfriend and slowly drifted off herself. She had barely been able to sleep the previous night due to her mind being all jumbled with worry and despair. Marceline had stroked her hair for hours and had eventually passed out with her fingers tangled in the pink locks, but sleep never came to Bonnie except in small five minute intervals.

Hopefully now, she'd be able to catch up on those hours a bit. Otherwise this flight would be far too long...

___________________________________

Marshall blinked his groggy eyes up at the ceiling as he slowly came out of the coma-like sleep he had been in. The ceiling blurred in his vision as his eyes fought for their ability to function and focus. It was still dark out so there was even more difficulty in such a simple task. That and he didn't want to wake up...

His ears slowly registered the music escalating in volume approximately every 20 seconds next to his head. His phone was on the edge of his bed, the screen lit up with the alarm and the time. It was his work alarm. How many days had it been?

Somehow he couldn't pull his mind together as he tried to recall what day it was and when the last time he had gone to work had been. If his work alarm was going off...and the last time he'd gone to work was Saturday then...

Monday...

His brain supplied the correct day and he paused as he realized that he hadn't moved, not once, since he got home Saturday night. He was still naked, his sheets no longer damp from when he'd crawled into them wet from a hot shower but oh so cold.

In a fit of anger and angst Marshall grabbed his phone and hurled it across the room. It connected with the opposite wall and made a metallic clatter before it dropped onto the floor with a snap and the sound of plastic cracking.

"Shit!"

Quickly he realized his mistake and sat up to look at where his phone landed. It was too dark to see it properly but it appeared as if the battery had just popped out along with the back cover.

With a sigh he fell back onto the bed and took a few deep breaths. Marshall attempted to calm himself down by feeling the rise and fall of his own chest and the calmness that deep breathing immediately bestowed upon him. He was okay.

"Come on Marshall...you're not going to fall apart if you stand up." His voice sounded hoarse with lack of use and came out as no more than a whisper. It was true though. As shitty as he felt on the inside he physically wasn't going to fall asleep if he stood up and got out of bed. What he was feeling was internal, his chest was not actually collapsing and his legs were not slowly eroding away from the toes upward.

...

........

He still didn't move as his arms remained spread to the side as he stared up at the ceiling.

Marshall wanted to be mad at himself. He wanted to be angry for being hung up so much on some boy that he'd only know for a week and a half, but he reminded himself that this wasn't like some petty break up. Bubba was missing, actually missing, and it was his fault.

"Get up you piece of shit...laying around isn't going to help him."

His words somehow managed to spur him into action and it was in a nearly numb state that he made his way through a familiar morning routine. It was as if someone had gone over and switched the automatic mode on.

Get in the shower.  
Wash your body.  
Blow dry your hair.  
Put on clothes.  
Underwear first, then pants and then a shirt.  
Don't forget socks.  
They don't match, but it doesn't really matter.  
Put on your shoes.  
Eat breakfast.  
........  
Throw half of it away because you can't seem to stomach it.  
Grab your coat.  
Make sure you have your keys.  
Don't meet your own eyes in the mirror, because then you'll see.

Then he'd see what he really looks like. How hollow his eyes are and how red his bottom lip is from being chewed on and bitten out of worry. Not once does Marshall meet his own eyes in the mirror, because he knows what he'll see.

Somehow he makes it out of the door on time with hopefully everything he needs. The walk to work is uneventful and he distracts himself by thinking about the routine he'll have to start when he gets to work. If all he thinks about is what to do next then the fragile glass-like appendages that have replaced all of his bones wont shatter, and his heart wont get caught in his throat anymore.

No he's done crying. Crying doesn't help in this situation, it just makes him feel worse.

So Marshall focused on the routine as his feet carried him to work. What he didn't expect, was to unlock the door to the Cafe and walk down the two steps only to come face to face with a large family and two familiar faces accompanied with pink and black hair. Fionna stood off to the side in an apron talking to someone who looked a lot like a female twin he knew, except she had strawberry blonde hair instead of bubblegum pink.

Oh god.

"Marshall? Oh no...you look like shit." Fionna noticed him first and all other conversations stopped after she spoke to him.

It was disorienting but Marceline was the next person to react as she came over and gave him a big hug. Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.

"Marshall. How are you?" She said his name in what sounded like relief as she hugged him tightly and rubbed his back. At first he was just shocked and confused, but slowly he rapped his arms around his sister tightly and closed his eyes. His brows furrowed in concern and in attempt to completely stop the tears that were welling up in his throat.

He was not going to cry anymore. Although this situation MADE him want to cry, he was not going to give in.

"Hey you." He mumbled his reply into her hair and it still sounded as hoarse as when he first talked this morning. Maybe he was losing his voice or getting sick. He did walk home in the rain last night

Oh wait that was two nights ago. Damn.

The hug lasted for quite awhile before Fionna stepped forward and put her hands on her hips in an angry manner. It was a half hearted attempted and Marshall could tell, but he didn't tease her about it.

"And where the hell have you been? I called you 8 times yesterday and Finn probably left you more than 15 text messages. Way to ignore us completely and then show up..." she checked her watch. "4 minutes late to work!"

At that he pulled away from Marceline and was able to crack a small smile. Fionna was pretty cute for a girl, trying to cheer him up.

"I always show up late Fi, I thought you'd be used to it by now." Fionna seemed relieved and she smiled back at him and opened her mouth to reply before she was rudely cut off. "That doesn-"

"So you're irresponsible from the start? Tch, i should have known." The man who spoke crosse his arms and glared menacingly down at Marshall.

"What?" He blinked in surprise before said man approached him with strong steps and stood right in front of him in an intimidating manner. This situation was not completely unexpected but he hadn't anticipated it to be this soon or intense. Marshall was not prepared, emotionally or mentally to have someone else unload all of the blame on him. He'd been doing that enough on his own.

"I believe you heard me. I called you irresponsible, since I am to assume that you are the individual that my son had been staying with? Marshall Lee was it?" He felt the mans eyes bore into him and absently noticed how similar he was to Bubba. His hair was sticking upwards in a similar style except it was platinum blonde rather than bright pink, and he had the same pissy expression. However this one said 'everything is your fault and i hate you' when Bubba's had been more of an 'I'm annoyed with you, you butt'. There is a big difference in the two and as he gaped at the man in an excellent impersonation of a dying fish, he felt that difference and the sinking feeling it left inside of his chest cavity.

"Hey, this is not Marshall's fault. He graciously offered Bubba a place to stay and it as not his job to look after him like that, okay? You told me you would calm down dad." The voice that spoke up was a bit surprising and Marshall looked at Bonnie in surprise before he gave her a grateful stare and took a step back from Mr. Gumball.

"I'm sorry that Bubba is missing, but we're affected too. I know even I should have kept a better eye on him...but trying to blame someone other than whoever took him isn't going to help us." Fionna chimed in as well and it seemed as if the business owner deflated slightly before gritting his teeth and stepping away.

"Fine...but as soon as he is found he is coming home with us!" The words were said with conviction and Marshall winced slightly before he nodded his head silently, swallowed his distaste and the rising bile in his throat and promptly headed to the kitchens to get washed up and ready to serve customers.  

Routine...just get back to the Routine.

His mind began to numb itself again in a slow process and the morning proceeded as many morning had at that cafe. Except at the corner booth where he had become accustomed to having a cutie with pink hair sit, there was a distraught family. Eventually they left to go to the police station and ask for a report from the police. Their absence was a great relief to Marshall who repeatedly rubbed his face with his hand in anguish. Clearly Bubba's family blamed him, at least the father did. He didn't know what to do in this situation...finding a missing person wasn't exactly an easy task. The world was huge, hell, just Toronto was huge.

It seemed hopeless.

As he felt his chest sink in grief the door to the cafe swung open and the elder woman that had been visiting more and more frequently walked in and went to sit down at her designated booth. Fionna caught his eye and promptly made a face and Marshall sighed in response.

"I got it Fi...I don't want you to get in trouble for punching a customer in the face." His smile was half hearted but he stood up from behind the counter and went over to her table to take her drink order. She was smiling even more crazily today and Marshall had to raise an eyebrow at her as he held up his note pad.

"Hello, you're looking happy today. What would you like to drink?" His own voice had been forced the entire day and it was still slightly hoarse from the crying and lack of use from yesterday...and the day before.

"I'll just have some iced water for now. Really iced water." The lady cackled and grinned at Marshall before she rubbed the backs of her hands in an unsettling way. "Where's your pink friend?" Her tone was off slightly, and the question was painful and he ended up looking away.

"He's.....not here right now." The hurt was plain on his face and Marshall quietly excused himself before he wandered back to the counter and sat down on a stool.

"-shall..."

"-arshall..."

"MARSHALL-LEE!" He jolted backwards on the stool and stared at Fonna ins hock and surprise. She was practically yelling right next to his ear at this point.

"W-what? Jesus Fionna you're going to give me a heart attack."

"You weren't responding at all. I asked you like a bajillion times what the creepy old Hag watned".

"Oh...just an iced water, but like eighty percent ice and twenty percent water." He shrugged and rubbed his temples awkwardly as he sat there and Fionna took care of it. He didn't even remember what he'd been thinking about for the past few minutes, only that he had stopped wanting to think and be all together.

He was once again pulled from his thoughts as Fionna yanked him off the stool with an urgent expression and then pulled him intot he back kitchen roughly. It was so sudden that he had no time to react hardly at all.

"What the hell Fi? A little warning before you yank me off to my-"

"Look at this!"

Before he could even finish she was shoving her hand in his face. His brows furrowed in confusion as he looked at her hand and then just looked at her as if she had three heads. What was he supposed to look at, her hand?

"Yes it's your hand. Good job Fi!" Sarcasm was apparent in his voice.

"No you dick!" pain exploded on his shin where she kicked him and Marshall flinched and groaned.

"what the fuck then?"

"Look at what I'm holding between my finger! Its a strand of pink hair! SHORT PINK HAIR!" she was trying to keep her voice down and ended up yelling at him in a hoarse whisper y kind of voice. His eyes however had become fixed on the small pink hair that was clutched in her grip. Immediately he held her hand steady and looked at the hair before blinking at Fionna.

"Where did you get it?" the desperation in his voice was hard to miss.

"It was on her..." Fionna looked over her shoulder and through the small round window on the swinging door towards the older woman at her lonesome table with a glass of ice with water. "It was on her shoulder to be exact."

Marshall stared at the woman as she sat there. Stared at the woman who had immediately commented on the fact that Bubba was gone. Who had left the cafe earlier on Saturday right before Bubba went missing. Whom he had told that Bubba was not at the cafe with him. He stared at the perpetrator who had taken his boyfriend, and his eyes narrowed dangerously.

"That bitch."


	20. Panic and Run

Marshall let Fionna lead the way as they calmly followed the middle aged woman back to her house. It seemed creepy to just follow her like they had been doing, but they didn't have the proof necessary to call the cops on her. Not yet at least. They'd had several close calls where Marshall had to yank Fionna behind a dumpster or a street corner as the woman would look over her shoulder, but they'd managed.

If she found out they were following her then they'd be in major trouble and it was possible that Bubba would be in even more danger than he already was. Plus there was that nagging thought at the back of his mind that he was trying not to focus on.

What if she didn't have Bubba?

What if it had just been one casually misplaced pink hair on her shoulder? If that were the case and they broke into her house and got caught...they would go to jail and things would be even more of a mess. Not only that, but he would have dragged Fionna to jail with him.

Truthfully it had been her plan to follow the woman back to her home. Marshall had been about ready to storm out of the kitchen and demand answers from her. Had Fi not held him back and smacked him around in the kitchen a bit he probably would have done it too. He would have ruined the whole thing. So it had been her idea to follow the woman once she left and see if she was suspicious enough to actually have kidnapped Bubba.

They'd had to call Finn and beg him to take over both of their shifts so that they wouldn't leave the cafe unattended and get fired. Plus it would be suspicious if they suddenly closed the cafe right after the old lady left.

Keeping hot on her trail, the duo followed her through the streets and alleyways. Marshall always thought that it would be easy to tail someone because in moves it always seemed so easy. It was not easy at all, in fact it was incredibly difficult. As they moved through the streets, at one point they completely lost sight of her and Marshall started to panic.

"Fi we lost her. Where'd she go? Damn it!" He cursed and ran his fingers through his hair before his elbow was suddenly yanked roughly backwards behind a building corner.

The woman had stepped momentarily into a flower shop that had been right in front of them, which was the place she had disappeared too. They both held their breath as the door opened right in front of them and the woman paused to smell the pink flowers she had purchased. If she were to turn her head even a fraction to the left, then they would be spotted and everything would be over. Who knew what she would say or do? Especially IF she was capable of kidnapping someone!

Anxiety clenched in the pit of Marshall's stomach as they held their breath and waited. It was torture, and his lungs burned from the effort.

Luck seemed to be on their side today, because the woman turned to her right and started walking again at a brisk pace. Two sighs echoed each other as Marshall and Fionna breathed out their relief.

"Dude that was close. The witch almost caught us."

"No shit." Marshall was not particularly in the mood for joking at this point, so he tried to brush off the situation and took a quick look around the corner to watch the woman walk down the street and then take a left.

"Come on Fi." They were back on the hunt as they tried their best to tail her without getting caught or without losing sight of her. Like he'd said before, it was really incredibly difficult and with every step closer to where this woman was heading, Marshall felt his chest constrict. 

What if they were wrong?

What if he wasn't there?

What then?

Marshall shook his head and paused at a corner as he watched the woman walk down a street casually. It didn't matter about the negative what if's. There was a chance that Bubba would be there and thats why they were going. If they held back now...who knew if they'd ever see their friend again? They would never see his smile, or the bright pink color his cheeks turn when he's embarrassed. Marshall missed it so much already.

They watched carefully as the woman approached rows of brick houses that each had a number on the front. Marshall slowed down at the same time as Fionna and they watched the witch disappear into one of the many houses. Slowly they shared a look and nodded.

"Then this is it...Lets find a way in." Fionna took the initiative and headed towards an alley that led to the back of the house. Marshall followed silently, his gut clenching in anticipation.

\-------------------

Bubba had quickly come to the realization in his glass-like prison that there was no clock and after what felt like hours of trying to get out of his bindings he had given up and had taken to closing his eyes and humming a pleasant tune to himself. If he kept his eyes open for too long and looked at the mirrors and glass then he knew he was going to go crazy for real.

Or he would throw up. Either was equally likely at this point.

There was no way to measure how much time had passed when he had started to work on his bindings again. If he sat still he was going to freak out, so movement was the best at this point. Even if it seemed hopeless to get out of them he needed to try, he needed to do SOMETHING. If he didn't then there was a chance that no one would ever find him. Who would suspect a middle-aged woman that had been hanging around a cafe? Hell he hadn't suspected her at all.

His wrists felt raw as he moved them back and forth and attempted to slip the ropes off. They were tight, but the more he worked on them the looser they seemed to get, so maybe it wasn't hopeless after all. If he could just....get it a bit looser...

From somewhere in the house he heard the front door close sharply and there was the sound of....singing. It was terribly off key and the color drained from his face as he pulled his wrists tight together again and sat up straighter in the chair. She was back, and he'd missed his opportunity to escape. Nervously he chewed and pulled at his bottom lip, tearing off little pieces of chapped skin as his mouth went dry in fear.

Heels clicked along the hallway and his chest constricted. Why was she so terrifying?

The lock on the door was opened slowly before the door itself was flung open and the elderly woman swung into the room in a happy stupor. 

"I'm back darling! That little cafe was just lovely today as well!" She had flowers in her hands as she approached. Everything made him feel more and more sick as his expression settled into a scowl at her approach. He had no comment, even as she leaned down and showed him the flowers and started placing them on his lap, he only continued to scowl.

"I saw these in a shop and I just had to get them for you! You love them right? Of course you do dear they're pink! Anyway-" She never shut up and Bubba grit his teeth in anger as she kept talking on and on. 

The touching, was what got to him though. She had her hand on his shoulder, then messing with his hair, it felt impossibly gross and it seemed like her thin fingers never left his skin. Her hands were clammy and pale and thin and all over him.

He was going to be sick.

"That waiter Marshall was there. You should have seen the look on his face today! He looked devastated even as he continued to serve everyone their drinks and food." She cackled and brought the back of her hand to her mouth. Bubba felt his blood boil as she mentioned Marshall. "I asked him where you were and he just looked so hopeless! It was cute!" She was grinning from ear to ear, and thats when he lost it.

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?! LEAVE HIM ALONE!" He could only stay composed for so long when she was talking about Marshall as if he were some entertaining toy to play with, when SHE was the one who had done this. How could she do something this terrible, be the cause of Marshall's pain and then just...Watch him in pain like some dramatic soap opera? "LET ME GO YOU CRAZY WITCH!"

The woman looked shocked as he yelled at her. His face was red from the effort of yelling as well as his anger. How long was he supposed to sit there and listen to her tell him about how miserable Marshall was? Sure the man was annoying and a pain in the ass but god damn it, if he didn't care about him a lot. More than he could coherently put into words at that moment, his chest ached just thinking about what expression the other must have been making. That this woman...no. That this WITCH would willingly taunt and torment Marshall just set his teeth on edge.

She clicked her tongue impatiently at him as her gaze cooled. All of the affection and warmth that had once been in her eyes towards him was now replaced with a cold glare. It felt as if even his bones had chilled and he leaned away from here as she gripped his chin harshly.

"Oh? You think somethings wrong with me? Do you really have feelings for that reject coffee shop worker my prince?" She started to smile again, and that was the scariest thing of all. If you've ever been in a conversation with a sociopath, then you understand what kind of smile it was. For those of you that have not had any recent conversations with a sociopath; It was not a nice smile.

Bubba practically swallowed his own tongue as he shut up. She terrified him. He regretted his decision to yell right then. If only he'd maintained his composure and not blown up at her. Getting angry at your kidnapper never worked, at least it never worked in the movies.

"Maybe...I should do something about Marshall then? If you're going to be unfaithful to me all because of some silly boy then that could ruin everything! After all we are going to get married and...he'd be problematic..." She trailed off and stepped away from him. Her hand slid away from his chin slowly and her nails left scratch marks on his jaw. Bubba watched in terror as she tapped her foot in thought.

What was she saying. "W-wait M-Marshall isn't a problem!" He quickly tried to cover up for what he'd said, but it was too late.

"Don't worry darling. I'll make sure you only love me...hmn..." She paced a little bit before snapping her fingers as if she had solved all of their problems. "Ah! If there is no Marshall, then you'll have no reason to think about him. Thats perfect!" She smiled and leaned forward to plant a kiss on Bubba's cheek. He tried to pull away and felt his hands shake uncontrollably as she pulled away and whispered in his ear.

"You're mine, my little prince." She smiled and turned to walk away, slowly the sound of humming was heard. It echoed in his head as her heels clicked down the hallway and the door to his room....No. His prison, slowly closed and clicked shut.

Bubba stared horrified at the door. His own terror reflected back at him at a seemingly infinite number of angles. She was going to kill Marshall. Marshall was in danger...

"What have I done..."

Before he knew it, hot tears flowed freely down his cheeks.

\------------------------------

They'd found a back door that looked as if it was hardly used and going with gut instinct, and Fionna's frantic voice, Marshall picked the lock as quickly as he could. Having Fionna keeping lookout was not the best idea as she kept flinching and holding her fists up randomly which would have him tensing and messing up.

They were a mess of adrenaline and nerves.

When the door clicked into an unlocked position they both scrambled over each other into the house. As they say, out of the frying pan and into the fire. With the door closed the room was pitch black. Their eyes slowly adjusted and Fionna took out her phone to use as a light.   
They both nearly screamed at the top of their lungs.

Right in front of them was the witch herself, grinning as if she had just won a prize.

Marshall practically jumped into Fionna's arms as he cursed bloody murder.

"Holyfucking shit!"

.....

They both paused as they clung to each other. The woman hadn't moved, she hadn't said anything. She hadn't even breathed.

"Hey wait a minute..." Fionna pried Marshall off of her and stepped forward before she poked the witch. Marshall stared horrified as she fell backwards and landed flat on the ground. It was a fucking. Cardboard. Cutout. 

Marshall groaned and held his face in his hand.

"Oh my god...my fucking heart stopped." He whispered in agony as Fionna scanned the rest of the room only to find pictures, posters, sculptures, all of the woman they had been following the entire way here.

"Wow...someone is narcissistic. She filled an entire room with....herself." Marshall would have laughed, if he hadn't still been trying to re-start his heart.

Once they left the creepy room behind them their nerves only soared. That room might have been dark, but the rest of the house was clearly lit. There were few windows and as they moved down a long hallway it became very obvious that this woman loved mirrors.

"It's like a fucking fun house in here." Marshall whispered gruffly as he was startled once again by his own reflection. Not to mention he totally looked like shit. What? You cry for two days straight and then see what YOU look like.

"More like a dark carnival. This is creepy." Fionna chimed in with her own whisper as she moved ahead of Marshall down the hallway. The hallways seemed endless, but at least they were empty. For now.

"Fi...we need to start checking rooms." Marshall looked at some of the doors lining the hallway, wondering if maybe Bubba could be in any of them.

"What if SHES in one of them though?"

Shit...he hadn't thought of that. Marshall paused and double checked behind them before he chewed on his bottom lip. Just as he was about to speak the sound of singing and a door falling closed reached their ears from further down the hallway. They both froze and stopped breathing.

The sound of heels against the floor drifted towards them. They were getting closer too.

Both Marshall and Fionna were suddenly a flurry of motion as Marshall and Fionna dove for the nearest door and scrambled into the room. They closed the door silently but quickly and scrambled to the side of the room. This room was dimly lit by a window and a quick inspection revealed that it was....filled with penguins.

Pictures, posters, stuffed animals, action figures, ice sculptures and everything penguin related existed in the room. It might have been cute if it hadn't been so creepy at the time.

Marshall ended up with his back pressed against a book shelf filled with Penguin knick knacks, and Fionna was crouched somewhere on the floor to his right. Silently they listened to the footsteps approach down the hallway. Neither dared to breathe. Neither dared to speak or even look anywhere other than the door.

Click clack....click clack....click clack.

Closer and Marshall stopped breathing all together.

Click clack, click clack, click clack, click clack....Click clack.................

...............

The sounds stopped outside the door and so did the humming. There was a moment of total silence and Marshall feared for his life and silently apologized to Marceline and Bonnie in his head. They were doomed.

Then, just like they had arrived the footsteps continued on down the hallway and out of hearing distance. 

He exhaled.

Fionna stood up and grabbed his hand. He was still frozen but at least he was breathing.

"Marsh we have to go! What if she comes back?" Fionna practically yanked him from his spot and he nodded and eased open the door silently. A quick look down the hallway confirmed that she was gone and they both stumbled as quickly and quietly as they could into the hallway. His heart which had seemed to stop earlier was beating out of control. The sound resonated in his ears as they jogged down the hallway.

There were four heart beats for every step he took. It felt as if it was racing towards its final beats.

Subconsciously they both stayed low to the ground, as if that would help them not be discovered. Any door they passed was eased open as they searched desperately for the familiar head of pink hair. There were rooms that had books, more arctic themes, and one was even a bedroom, but none of them had who they were looking for.

Feeling desperate and even more panicked than before, Marshall turned down a hallway and came face to face with what appeared to be a glass door with oak around the edges. It was oddly reflective and he wondered briefly if it was a mirror but what he saw on the other side quickly erased that thought. There was clearly a lot of pink being reflected on the other side, even if the image was distorted he didn't hesitate to sprint full speed to the door before he shoved it open.

It was heavy but that was no problem as he pushed passed it and sprinted into the dizzyingly reflective room.

The male sitting tied to a chair with tears streaming down his face was a sight for sore eyes though. Without thinking he just rushed forward and slid to the ground to wrap his arms tightly around the man in front of him. He cried harder than he had the night he'd gone missing. He cried because he was relieved.

They'd found him.

"M-Marshall?!" Bubba gasped in shock as he was suddenly hugged but Marshall wasn't listening. Bubba could have been anywhere...he could have already been taken halfway across the country...across the border. He could have been dead.

But he wasn't and he was alive and he was right here and god damn it he was never letting him go.

"Fionna! W-What are you guys doing h-here?" Bubba's voice was catching on his own words as he tried to catch his breath from his previous crying. Fionna had apparently walked into the room after him.

"We came to look for you, thank god you're actually here." The relief was evident in her voice but Marshall was too busy trying to stop his own overflow of emotions as he clung tightly to Bubba. His tears his Bubba's neck as he nuzzled closer to the male and readjusted to hug him tighter than before even.

"Y-Yeah...thats really lucky. Marshall you... we have to go! She wants to hurt or kill you or something I don't know." Bubba wasn't making very much sense with his words but neither was he. If he tried to talk right now nothing would come out but more sobs probably.

"Marshall he has a point. You have to get up we're not safe now. Yeah we found him but if we all end up dead then thats gonna suck." Marshall felt himself being pulled away from Bubba and he complied slowly and quickly wiped his eyes and pulled himself together as best he could. He'd had a rough fews days, but she was right it wasn't over yet.

Still sniffling occasionally he got out his pocket knife and leaned down to cut through the ropes that were keeping his boyfriends legs tied to the chair while Fionna freed his hands with her own pocket knife. His relief fueled his actions, as did his protectiveness. He had him now, there was no way in hell he was going to give him up. 

Once his feet were free Marshall stood up and helped Bubba stand. He was shaky, probably from having sat in that chair for so long. His skin was pale and he also looked weak so Marshall slung an arm around his waist to help him stand.

"Didn't she feed you at all? Jeeze..."

Marshall watched as Bubba nodded and started walking with him towards the door. Fionna already had her phone out and was dialing the police. This was evidence enough in their minds.

"Yeah...it was mostly cold stuff. The only time I could stand was when she took me to the bathroom..." Marshall felt the pink-haired man shudder in his grasp and he tightened his grip on him before moving them towards the door. It was impossible to imagine what he'd been through, and hopefully over time they could all forget about this. 

"Come on Fi, lets get him home." Quietly they pushed open the door and Fionna shut it as gently as possible while Marshall helped Bubba down the hallway. The more he walked the less it seemed he had to support the other male and steadily their pace increased. Worry nagged at the back of Marshall's mind but he did his best to ignore it. Just find an exit.

Any kind of door...or first floor window that wasn't lock. Preferably a door though. There was no way they could go back the way they came since thats where the with had walked herself.

"Hello? my friend and I have found a missing person. His name is Bubba...yes. The one from the missing case this weekend. We need help, we're inside a home and the kidnapper is somewhere near us....Yes we're at-" They walked in silence as Fionna whispered into her cellphone to the police. That woman was around the house somewhere...all they had to do was find the front door. 

"Bubba do you know where the front door is?"

"I was unconscious when she brought me here...sorry." He shook his head and attempted to give Marshall an apologetic smile. Marshall just leaned to the side and bumped their heads together softly. He was beyond words at that point. If he spoke the man feared he'd just choke up again.

"Marshall I think the exit is this wa-"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY HOME?!?!"

Shit...

Shit shit shit shit shit shit shit.

She was behind them and suddenly they were all sprinting down the hallway. Most people pretend that they would know exactly what to do in a situation like this, that you'd be the hero and everyone would come out alive.

But thats not how things happen.

They were sprinting chaotically down the hallway with no sense of direction and no goal. It was the stuff of nightmares and they picked random hallways to run down as the psychopathic woman chased them screaming bloody murder.

Nothing made sense anymore except that they needed to run and get the HELL out of there.

It wasn't until Marshall smacked face first into a large door that he realized they had made it to the front door. His hands didn't work though and Bubba was leaning heavily against him and panting. Everything was a mess as he tried to undo the lock on the door and open the handle.

It was cold and stuck..somehow it wouldn't turn. His breath quickened as he tugged on the door desperately before returning to the top lock. He swore he'd already turned it, but his fingers felt like useless stubs of numb flesh. He just needed to open the door. Why couldn't he open the door?!

Somewhere from behind him Fionna yelled. There was a sickening thud, something, no...someone had hit the floor.

"MARSHALL HURRY UP!" Had he yelled that? No Bubba had yelled it. Somehow he got the lock un-done and he managed to force the door open. They were hit in the face with the cold Canadian air and without thinking Marshall turned to shove Bubba through the open door.

Behind him Fionna was on the floor scuffling with the woman. Bubba was trying to pull the old hag off of Fionna and there was blood. Oh god there was a lot of blood. it was red all over the blue and white rug..

Someones flailing limb smacked him in the face.

There was a knife...

Marshall jumped into the fray and helped Bubba throw the woman aside as they blindly grabbed at Fionna.

The knife clattered to the floor in the chaos as they pulled Fionna to a sitting position and stumbled around in confusion. He could hear the woman cursing and getting up. Please stay down.

"I got her! Bubba get out now!" He shoved the other man out of the door and quickly grabbed Fionna. She looked terrified and wild-eyed but she was breathing. He had to ignore the red that was painted down her left arm as he swiftly bent down to scoop her up as best he could in his arms and sprint through the open door.

He hadn't grabbed her properly and all three of them spilled out onto the street side walk in a panting heaving mess of terrified young adults. It hurt a lot. Someone was on top of him crushing his chest with their weight.

Somewhere on the concrete his hand searched desperately and found Bubbas'. He gripped it tightly as sirens sounded around them.

There wasn't enough air. He was hyperventilating and someone was bleeding. 

He held onto that hand like nothing else existed. He was not going to let go. Not willingly. 

the concrete blurred in front of him, shit he wasn't breathing.

And then there was darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow okay... this took me a really long time to get out but i hope you guys are still reading along ^^ I have a lot more free-time now that im done with classes and its just my exams so expect more frequent updates! Also we're almost to the end hehe!!
> 
> I already have chapter 21 half done so that's good C:


	21. Let's go Home

Bubba stared up at the slightly clouded sky as he tried to catch his breath. He felt something brush against his hand before solid pressure settled into it. Slowly he started to sit up, and he too gripped the other males' hand as if his life depended on it.

"M-Marshall?" Bubba turned and first looked at their clasped hands before his gaze traveled up the length of the other males arm to find his face. It appeared as if he was hyperventilating and by the time he managed to get his arm to move the other males' head had flopped sideways. He panicked. 

"Marshall! M-Marshall!!" Desperately he reached out and pulled himself closer to the other male. He was breathing...good, that was a start. Someone else was pinning his legs. He couldn't move them at all, and a quick glance confirmed that Fionna was draped haphazardly over both of them. She wasn't moving either.

"F-Fionna?" His voice shook badly as he reached out to touch her shoulder. At the last minute he drew his hand back, too afraid to make actual contact with her skin.

Luckily he didn't have to, because a groan quickly emerged from where she was laying and she pushed herself upwards a bit. She was not in good condition, but she was moving.

"Oh thank god..." The relief that flooded him was only momentary as suddenly the noise and commotion all around them increased ten-fold.

Sirens blared close to them, and police men rushed out of their cars only to run passed the flattened out group of young adults. There were several small steps that led up to the open front door, the things they had all stumbled on. It seemed like a long fall from where they were positioned on the ground, but then again his head wasn't quite right.

He knew his full name, his sister was named Bonnibelle, 10+(6^2)= 46, he was in...somewhere in Canada.

After that brief mental check he felt better, and it was clear that he didn't have a concussion, which was always a plus. Marshall on the other hand, was out cold and Bubba wasn't sure if it was due to hyperventilation or if he had hit his head during the fall down the stairs. Bubba pulled Marshall closer to him and cradled his head gently as he brushed hair out of his eyes. Gently he prodded at the other males skull with his fingers and tried to find anywhere that was bleeding or swollen. He came into contact with a bump on the back of his head and winced. That wasn't a good sign.

"Marshall wake up!" He hesitated but then very lightly smacked the males' face a few times. Did that even actually work on people that passed out? He couldn't remember, his mind was spacing out on the medical courses he had taken.

Apparently it did because it wasn't long before the male's eyelids flutter open and he groaned and attempted to roll sideways. Just as Marshall was regaining himself a large vehicle pulled up to the road near them. Bubba looked up and noticed that it was an ambulance and in moments they were swarmed with paramedics and police officers. Although it seemed the cops were more occupied with the woman they were wrestling into the back of a police car.`

"Sir are you hurt?" Bubba forced himself to stop staring at the scene and looked up at the face of a woman as she kneeled next to them. Bubba shook his head and pointed to Fionna.

"S-She's bleeding somewhere I think...He might have a concussion he has some swelling on the back of his head but no blood. I-I'm slightly dehydrated and dizzy..." His brain gave a report on its own and the woman seemed surprised that he was so coherent but nodded all the same and issued orders to the other paramedics around her.

Fionna was the first to be pulled from their tangled pile and she was put onto a stretcher near them. Bubba stared transfixed and winced when he saw them press a lot of gauze to her arm and strap her to the gurney. At least he knew she was awake based on her groans of pain, and she was talking to her own personal paramedic.

"Ow Ow OW! Fuck that hurts!" His lips pursed as he heard Fionna cursing from what he assumed would be pain. He hadn't seen exactly what had happened but he arm had been really bloody and worry pulled at the pit of his stomach.

His attention was grabbed when he felt someone pull him backwards as more paramedics grabbed Marshall and started putting him onto another stretcher. Their linked hands were being pulled apart.

"Wait!"

"Sir I need you to let go of his arm, he might have a concussion and we need to get him to a hospital."

Bubba stubbornly clung to that hand and he forced himself to his feet and waved off all of the people buzzing around him.

"Sir I need you to sit back down!"

"I'm fine, I'm fine! I'm not hurt I don't need a stretcher." He used a firm voice and glared at the man that was attempting to push him onto another stretcher. Instead he kept his hand linked firmly and walked alongside the stretcher until they had to slide it into the ambulance. Naturally he followed and climbed unsteadily into the back. Both Fionna and Marshall we strapped down in the back of the ambulance and a female paramedic ushered him into a seat and started dabbing at his forehead with some kind of cotton material.

She proceeded to shine a light into his eyes and do a routine check on him and he let her. As long as he was with them, as long as he wasn't alone, and was no where near that other woman.

"Sir can you tell me your name, family members and your insurance policy number?"

He rattled off everything easily but his insurance policy evaded him. Not that it would have done him much good anyway. His insurance company was American and he was in Canada. At least the health care here was good.

His dizziness had failed to fade, and as the ambulance took off down the road and headed for the hospital his hands begun to shake. The adrenaline was leaving his system and terror slowly replaced it. That rush of hormones and energy always had a series of withdrawal symptoms and he loathed it.

"Sir? Are you alight?"

He shook his head and covered his mouth. Oh god he was going to throw up. Or he was going to pass out. The back of the ambulance was spinning in the worst of ways. Adrenaline highs were not fun to come down from, especially when your food and water supply had been limited recently. Absently he started going over the chemical makeup of Adrenaline and the process by which it was triggered and pumped through the body. Hormones were funny. Oh jeeze he was definitely going to puke.

Luckily for him he decided to pass out before suffering the embarrassment of throwing up on a paramedic worker.

\-------------------------------------------

Marshall was the first to wake up in the hospital. He was disoriented and once they brought him around he threw up twice and promptly felt better. Apparently he'd given himself a minor concussion from the fall down the steps because he'd turned to protect Fionna from the fall and fell backwards, or so they told him. Yes he was an idiot, but at least it wasn't severe.

It was only a short hour and a half before they let him out of the hospital bed and allowed him to walk around. The first thing he did was change out of the god forsaken hospital clothes someone had put him in.

He was eternally grateful that Marceline brought him his favorite red flannel shirt and his dark blue skinny jeans and once he was changed he walked back out to find her sitting on his bed.

"God this feels ten times better." She smirked at him and tilted her head.

"What? Dont like having your ass hanging out of a shapeless hospital gown?" He pursed his lips to try to contain his smile but it was inevitable and he even let out a few snickers that matched those of his sister.

"Well at least we know I'm not an exhibitionist." Carefully he moved to sit next to her. His head was still tender and luckily they'd given him medicine for the roaring headache he'd woken up with. Seriously it was worse than the worst hangover he'd ever had. At first he didn't even open his eyes until the nurse dimmed the lights enough upon his request.

"Hey Marcy...w-where..." His throat closed up and he couldn't even ask the question. Where was Fionna? And Bubba...where were they? He'd tried to focus on himself at first, because none of the nurses had answered his questions and his head head had hurt badly enough that he even forgot to continue asking as he went through the process of waking up, feeling terrible, throwing up and getting better.

"Where are Bubba and Fionna? They're here and both recovering quickly...Come on you big baby." She rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand before tugging him to his feet. Marshall winced as the sudden change in orientation had his head giving a sharp throb.

"Ow..."

"Oops sorry...wow you're so fragile now." She chuckled and headed to the door before peeking her head out. Marshall put a hand to his temple and scowled at his kid sister.

"I'm not fragile...I have a fucking concussion." His grumbling was lost on Marceline as she had already moved out into the hallway and he followed her as quickly as he could. It was a short walk before they came to another door that had Bubba's name written on a sign on the outside. Marshall reached out and touched it absently before he peered inside.

The room was empty except for the two beds and the humans that occupied them. His hand hesitated over the door nob before Marceline poked him in the back and nodded for him to go in.

Plucking up at least a bit of courage he opened the door and walked inside slowly as he observed the room. Fionna was situated on the bed closest to the window and as far as he could tell she was far under. Her left arm had many bandages on it as did her left foot. It seemed that she'd also gotten some small cuts and bruises from her fight with the horrible woman, including a tough looking split lip.

Guilt nagged at his insides as he looked at her condition. It was his fault, he dragged her into it and let her come along. However...he wouldn't have been able to do it without her, and if she heard his thoughts then she'd probably just punch him for "being dumb and over-protective."

His footsteps were quite as his gaze shifted and he instead approached the bed closest to the door. On the hospital bed a male with pink hair falling haphazardly into his eyes was sleeping with the most peaceful expression Marshall had ever witnessed. He was gorgeous, but most importantly he was ALIVE.

Marshall felt slightly choked up as he moved to the end of the bed and sat down on it. His presence had apparently roused the man from his light slumber however as Bubba soon stirred and blinked his tired eyes into the open position.

"M-Marshall?" The other male was sitting up in a matter of seconds and Marshall himself stood before he reached forward and pushed him back down.

"Shh don't sit up, you're still attached to...things." The dark-haired male gestured to the IV drip that Bubba was currently attached to through his elbow. Personally he felt sick just looking at it but he tried not to think about it very much.

"Oh I am..." Bubba looked at the IV as well and became silent as he looked down and fidgeted with his hands and fought back a yawn.

"I'm so glad you're okay..." The words rushed from his mouth like unfiltered thoughts and Marshall paused only to clear his throat. Bubba seemed unaffected by the shock of it as he simply smiled and held his hand out to Marshall.

"I'm happy as well Marshall...come here." Marshall didn't need to be told twice as he stood and moved to sit near Bubba on the bed. His hand found Bubba's and he laced their fingers together and leaned his forehead against their linked palms.

"So...whats wrong? Why are you still in bed?" He was confused as to why he was released sooner than Bubba because he looked fine, Fionna on the other hand he could understand. Bubba snorted in amusement.

"Malnutrition and dehydration. They want to keep me here for at least twenty-four hours to make sure I'm okay." He paused and Marshall began to absently play with the males fingers as he nodded in understanding. If it was the make sure that Bubba was safe, then he could put up with it. The creepy IV would just have to be ignored, besides it wasn't like it was in HIS arm or anything.

"I also think that the police might be paying us all a visit. Earlier I heard them talking to my parents." Marshall looked up and frowned at the males words. Thats right...the crazy bitch that had kidnapped Bubba still needed to be accused. He hated even remembering her face, but mostly it was terror that gripped him. In the last few seconds of their escape she'd somehow grabbed a knife and...

His gaze shifted over to Fionna on the bed parallel to Bubba's and he swallowed thickly.

"She'll be okay..." He didn't say anything and instead look down at where his hand was gripping Bubba's. She'd be okay but at what cost? Would her arm be okay? What if their decision to blindly break into the womans house had caused Fionna to lose mobility in her arm? It seemed there was always a price for everything.

"Marshall what are you thinking?" Bubba sat up straighter and reached forward gently to cup his cheek and make him look up.

"I..." He faltered and tried to look away but Bubba held his face steady and his eyes eventually found the other males purple orbs. "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have left you alone in the city like t-that and..." He swallowed thickly. How was he supposed to convey how horrible he felt that he let this happen. How could Bubba even trust him anymore after what had happened? It was already obvious that his parents hated him.

"Marshall honestly..." Bubba sighed and dropped his hands. In confusion Marshall looked at him and frowned. Had he said something wrong?

"What? What did I do...?" Bubba actually seemed...annoyed with him and as he crossed his arms gingerly over his chest and quirked an eyebrow Marshall just became more confused.

"Marshall you saved my life...You and Fionna risked everything and saved me. I'm eternally grateful, I am and I'm just glad you came in time to save your own skin as well..." The other male trailed off awkwardly and Marshall paused thoughtfully.

"What do you mean save my own skin?"

"She was..." Bubba took a big breath and Marshall absently brought their clasped hands to his lips and gave them a quick reassuring kiss. At least he hoped it was reassuring to the other man.

"Sorry...But she was obsessed with me or something? It was creepy to be frank and when she returned from her visit to the cafe she started talking about how upset you looked." He paused and looked at Marshall before pressing on. "So I lost my temper and yelled at her and she wanted to have me all to herself I think. She said she was going to kill you...so that I'd never think of you ever again." He silently closed his eyes and took another deep breath to hold back some of the emotions he was feeling and remembering.

Marshall looked at Bubba and blinked as he processed what he was being told. It had never even occurred to him that he might be in danger from her as well, and unlike Bubba he wouldn't have been kept in a room. It sounded more like his body would have been left in a dark alley.

"She's crazy..." Bubba nodded in agreement as they both processed the events that had happened. It wasn't exactly something you could just recover from in a day, but at least they could make progress by talking about it and acknowledging that it happened.

Both boys jumped slightly as the door was opened with a click. Marshall turned his head only to smile as Bonnie walked in hand in hand with Marceline.

"Bonnie, hey how are you." He lifted his free hand slowly to give a small wave as the two girls approached the bed and stood near it. It honestly felt like it had been forever since he'd seen Bonnie, but if he remembered correctly then he'd seen her earlier that morning. So much had happened in such a short amount of time.

"I'm doing a lot better, now that my brother is back." She smiled as softly as always before she let go of Marceline's hand and approached him. Marshall was confused as he watched her approach. What was she doing? Had he done something wrong? Was he in the way of her reunion with her brother? His shock was evident as she leaned down and planted a quick kiss on his cheek. it was nothing more than a peck but he wasn't the only one that was confused or outraged.

"Thank you for getting my brother back Marshall." He just stared at her like all intelligence had fled his head.

"B-Bonnie! W-w-w-what are you doing?!?!" Bubba was the first one to exclaim as he yanked on their grasped hands to pull Marshall away from his twin sister so that he practically flopped down onto the bed with Bubba. If you have a concussion, the thing you should not do is move quickly or hit your head on things. Marshall's head connected with Bubba's ribcage and he went from being vertical to being horizontal in a matter of seconds.

"OW FUCK!" The dark haired man exclaimed and brought his free hand up to his temple as he winced in pain. It hurt a lot more than he imagined and a groan escaped his mouth. "Bubba what the fuck I have a concussion still...Ow"

"Oh jeeze, I'm sorry! Shit Marshall I'm really sorry, are you okay?" Bubba was practically frantic as he quickly released his hold on the males hand and attempted to just not touch him at all.

"No I'm not..."

"I-I'm sorry!" He sounded devastated at what he'd done.

Bonnie giggled in amusement where she stood and rolled her eyes. Although it was nearly impossible for Marshall to see her clearly due to all of the vision swimming pain but he managed and eventually he just fully, but carefully, flopped backwards against Bubba's chest and rubbed at the sides of his skull.

"I'm alright. Stop worrying Gumbutt, and you two stop smirking like you enjoy my pain." He pointed a long finger at the two girls who were watching them. Girls are evil, don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. Especially those two.

"I'm sorry..." Bubba muttered another apology quietly and Marshall waved his hand as if it didn't matter.

Marshall was surprised that Bubba didn't comment on the fact that he called him Gumbutt but it seemed like the male was too preoccupied with hugging him around the waist and hiding his face in his neck gently. He was a bit surprised at the action as he looked over her shoulder only to find a mess of pink hair in his face.

"Bubba?..." This was awkward, especially since Marceline and Bonnie were alternating between staring at them and shifting their feet nervously.

"What?"

"You okay?" There was a long pause before the male replied and although Marshall would never comment about it, he felt something hot and wet hit the side of his neck as the man behind him started to shake just ever so slightly.

"I missed you..." He whispered the words and they were nearly inaudible, it was almost certain that the girls hadn't heard. Bonnie seemed concerned for her brother as her brows furrow but Marshall waved her off with a hand before he reached back and ran his fingers through the males hair softly.

"I missed you too..." He trailed off and pet his hair softly until Bubba managed to calm down again. Marshall didn't know what had happened or why Bubba had suddenly been overwhelmed by emotions, but he didn't mind. In truth he felt the same way, and he knew exactly what Bubba was feeling. Just being in the same room again was nearly overwhelming.

\-------------------

Eventually he was told he needed to leave because technically visitors were not allowed at that time even if he was at the hospital. Reluctantly he went back to his own room and made sure that he had everything. Marceline and Bonnie were leaving with him but they stopped by Bubba and Fionna's room one more time to say goodbye. They promised to be back the next day to take both Bubba and Fionna home but for now Marshal had to leave Bubba with a chaste kiss on the lips.

Marshall wanted to stay with him, but there was no point since he would be released the next day. As it was, on their way out Marshall was stopped by two police officers. He nodded to Marceline and moved into a separate room with the all black clad man. Was he intimdated? No. Was he worried that he wouldn't be able to remember everything he wanted to ask him? Yes. His head fucking hurt still.

"Marshall Lee Abadeer, correct?"

"Yes."

"You were the person who called in first about the missing person correct?" He nodded, yes he had called the police. Not like they had been much help though.

The series of questions he was asked was fairly routine and annoying. Where was he at this time...blah blah how did you find the house? Why didn't you call the policemen right then. You know thats called trespassing blah blah. What was the woman doing, where was the male found. It was pretty dull and just a recounting of the days occurrences. He had to fudge his way through how they got into her house though, he couldn't remember everything and so he said that the back door was unlocked and so they just went in.

He was pretty sure he picked the lock. Maybe.

"Alright you're free to go, but we will be calling you in the future. Next time, call us first. You guys were lucky to get out of there like you did with minimal injuries...No more playing the hero." Marshall just leaned back in the chair and smirked as he gave the officer a thumbs up.

"No need to worry about that officer. We won't be doing anything like this again if we can avoid it." The officer sighed and ushered him out of the room and he walked calmly back over to Marceline.

"So? You gonna get in trouble for breaking into her house?" Marceline raised and eyebrow at him as he shook his head.

"Nah, just asked me questions for details. Can we go home now? My head is starting to hurt again..." He closed his eyes for a moment before looking around and furrowing his brow.

"What happened to B-"

"Bonnie?" His sister cut him off and pointed down the hallway. "She's talking to her parents about something. I dunno she said that she'd be right back ..." He watched as his sister turned on her heel and walked towards the exit. His feet hesitated for a moment before hesitantly taking a step after her. His gut told him that this was a bad idea, but it seemed unavoidable. After all the twins' parents WERE standing right in the entrance.

Sure enough right near the exit stood Bonnie speaking with her parents. Her dad seemed to be doing the most talking as their mom looked at her phone and Bonnie stood with her hands on her hips. The body laguage of the situation did not read as a "happy family talk" and he wanted to stay very far away. Marshall and Marceline had never really been good with they whole "family" thing. They were just going to avoid this one at all costs.

In fact that was the plan until they were noticed hanging around the edge of the doorway. Marshall blinked as Mr. Gumball turned to face him and glared daggers right at him. Seriously what had he done this time? Mustering up as much courage as he had left, which was significantly less than a teaspoon at this point, Marshall walked over and nodded to both of Bubba and Bonnie's parents.

"Hello, how are both of you?"

"Better now that we know where our son is." Mrs. Gumball replied first and gave him a warm smile. Mr. Gumball on the other hand just snorted and rolled his eyes.

"Yes we're better, except for the fact that Bonnie tells us that Bubba wants to stay with you here. Just thinking about the fact that this is the city where he was kidnapped we've decided that this is a terrible idea and we're taking him home." His voice rang with finality throughout the Hospital lobby.

"Daddy! You said you hadn't completely decided yet, what gives?" Bonnie spoke up before he could as she glared at her father ad held her ground.

"You would do the same thing if you almost lost one of your kids too in this god forsaken country." Marshall frowned and looked back down the hallway they had come from before looking upwards at the man in front of him. He was intimidating in both size and intellect, but Marshall was not going to back down.

"Bubba is an adult, correct? Shouldn't you let him make that decision?" The man glared at him and took a step closer. His head was throbbing but he continued to stare back with unwavering determination.

"My son, is only 19 years old. He is barely of legal age and even then WE are still paying for his college. Personally Mr. Abadeer, I thank you for finding my son and giving him somewhere to live while he was vacationing here but this is honestly none of your business. He may be an adult but he is clearly not old enough to be on his own." With that, the man turned on his heel and stalked off down the hallway. Marshall stood frozen where he stood as he grit his teeth and his fists shook. What the hell? I mean yes getting kidnapped was very bad but...he couldn't just force his son to go back with him! Well apparently he could.

Actually the more Marshall thought about it the more futile it seemed that he had even imagined in the first place that Bubba could stay. It was never meant to be a permanent arrangement in the first place. Really they had all just been extending their time and desperately grasping at time. Bubba lived thousands of miles away on the golden coast. He lived in the cloudy snowy city of Toronto. In truth they had always been from very different worlds. Yet, he couldn't just say goodbye like nothing had happened.

As a last resort he called out to the man and walked after him in an attempt to get his attention.

"Wait! Sir...please. If..." He rubbed the back of his head and winced before pressing on. "If you're determined to take him home, can I...is it alright if he stays at my apartment for the last night he's here?" It was clear that the man was confused so Marshall pressed on in hope of getting him to see his way. "Look I know you may not get it, and you were scared and you just want him home and safe...trust me I get it. I want the exact same thing. At least let me spend one more day with your son if you're taking him somewhere that I can't follow." His determination was unwavering as he stared into the mans' eyes.

There was a long tense silence as they stared at each other. Bonnie and Marceline stared on with wide sympathetic eyes as a silent battle took place between Mr. Gumball and Marshall Lee Abadeer. Slowly the man relaxed and heaved a sigh.

"Fine...I will ask Bubba tomorrow. Our flight leaves the morning after next at nine. Don't be late or we'll have problems." He pointed a finger at Marshall's chest and Marshall quickly nodded in agreement only to watch as the man turned and walked out. "Come on Bonnie, your mother wants to go back to the Hotel now."

Bonnie frowned and Marshall observed as she and his sister hugged and kissed briefly before Bonnie followed after her father. She spared him a small touch on his shoulder and a soft sympathetic smile before she was gone as well.

His chest deflated with a sigh as Marceline stepped up beside him and gently put a hand on his back and rubbed it back and forth. They had never really been good at communicating, or comforting each other, but they were close. No words were spoken because there was nothing to be said. The truth lay bare before them and there were no questions, nothing that needed to be clarified or explained. Things had happened, and now they were over.

It had always been a reality they'd never wanted to admit to, but this magical two weeks couldn't last forever. It had always had an end date, and it would always continue to have an end date. Nothing could change that. 

Several minutes found them like that, just standing there and thinking to themselves and to each other. Marshall blinked and finally turned his head to look at Marceline before he slung his arm over his little sisters shoulders and forced a smile for her.

"Lets go home..."

"Whatever you say Marsh." She replied in her usually sarcastic tone before they both walked off down the hallway. How many times had they picked each other up off the ground and walked home together like this? The number didn't really matter, not in the long run. What mattered was that they were still able to do it, and rain or snow or wind they would make it home together.

Yet Marshall had a feeling that this might be the last time he'd get to walk his little sister home, after all she had someone new now. Someone to hold her hand when she's scared and comfort her if she had a nightmare. Someone with long pink hair and a gorgeous smile.

It was becoming very clear that soon Marceline would need to part with him and Canada for good. At least if he had something to say about it.

Maybe these two weeks didn't have to end, at least not for both of them. If he could make his little sister happy, then he would. Even if it meant saying goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp...everything is coming to a close soon! I'd say either two or three more chapters...I dont know I haven't decided yet how much detail I want to put into this ending I have in mind.
> 
> Gonna make myself tear up though ;u;
> 
> Anyhow next chapter is cute, fluff and maybe some smut. I dunno, if smut happens then it happens but it might just be fluffy fluffy. Thank you all for reading and giving Kudos it means a lot! <3 Comment if you'd like I love to read 'em! ^u^


	22. I Love You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright so I managed to write and edit this on my flight back from England and am pleased to post it for you now! A lot of this chapter, especially the parts at the airport, were inspired by my own experience today and this morning.
> 
> I had to leave my girlfriend after two wonderful weeks in England to return home to the United States. So a lot of this is inspired by my own experience and very personal emotions TuT. I also just wanted to write a shit ton of fluffy fluff to comfort myself and you wonderful readers.
> 
> Also thank you all for the comments. They make me so happy ;U ; <3 And thank you for sticking with this story  
> Cheers and please Enjoy.

Smooth fingers traced small circles on his chest and stomach in a pattern that made no logical sense. His own hand rubbed up and down the males' smooth shoulder, every so often squeezing just slightly. Marshall's eyes were closed but his were wide open as he took in everything about the other male that he could. If his nearly photographic memory was good for anything, then it was good for remembering this moment.

Marshall's hair curled slightly around his ears and swept sideways to fall mainly to one side of his face. It was soft to the touch and looked healthy and shiny as it followed the curve of his neck. The muscles that ran down his neck and back stood out just slightly underneath the impossibly pale and creamy skin that covered him from head to toe. The place where his hand met Marshall's naked shoulder felt warm to the touch, it felt right. His eyes continued their journey downward as his hand physically traced a path down the males back and around his side and ghosted over his hip bone to tug at and play with one of the belt loops on his jeans gently.

The jeans hugged Marshalls' curves nearly perfectly, bunching up just slightly around his ankles where their feet tangled. Strong legs that fit perfectly in-between his own and make him shiver when they brushed against him rested on the bed. Marshall was gorgeous, even his feet were great, with his toes pressing into one of Bubba's shins and despite their cool temperature Bubba refused to pull his own legs away.

It still wasn't enough.

His eyes traveled back up the path of Marshall's body as his hand slid up the males side and back to his shoulder. His gaze found Marshall's face and Bubba devoted time to just memorizing it and looking at it. Dark eyelashes, eyebrows and cheekbones that stood out slightly at a sharper angle. Just a touch of stubble on the edges of his jaw and....eyes that were a mesmerizing reddish brown. In this light they appeared bright red and they were gorgeous.

Marshall was gorgeous, he was beautiful, he was everything he'd never known he wanted until two weeks ago. Until his life had been thrust into the hands of one Marshall Lee Abadeer.

"...You're gorgeous..." He trailed off after he whispered it and Marshall just blinked at him as his usually pale cheeks flushed a darker shade of pink. He wanted to remember that expression. He committed it to the most permanent part of his memory right then and there.

"Thats...a sudden thing to say you weirdo..." Bubba chuckled and slid his hand up from Marshall's shoulder and ran his fingers through his hair. He gently slid them down to cup his cheeks and smile at him.

"Its the truth."

"But it's weird to suddenly say that. Is that what you've been thinking this whole time?" Bubba nodded silently and leaned down to softly close their mouths together in a tender kiss.

It was ten at night and they'd ended up spending the entire afternoon together. At first they had only been talking, they had ordered take out pizza but they'd only barely touched the pizza before falling into bed and laying there pointlessly. It wasn't awkward, the silence didn't need to be filled. It was just...bittersweet.

On one hand Bubba was finally back with Marshall, in this apartment where he knew he belonged, where it felt right. On the other hand...he was leaving tomorrow. Marshall had explained what his father had said when they picked him and Fionna up from the hospital, and how it was as good as set in stone. He loved his parents to death but they were far too over-protective for their own good. Honestly he was just fine and he'd only been missing for a few days. As traumatic as it had been, it wasn't something that was going to cripple him for life.

Although his dreams had been really really weird and creepy recently.

Point was, he didn't want to go home. Curse it all he wanted to stay here in this small apartment, with the man laying in his arms. Of all the places to fall in love, it had to be on a whimsical trip to Canada. A place so far away that it hurt. Never had he dreamed that he would even find anyone to talk to in Canada, much less a fucking boyfriend. It was supposedly a trip for him and his twin sister...so when did everything get so complicated?

"...Do you remember the night we first met?" He looked down at Marshall and stroked his fingers over the males bare shoulder softly before curling his fingers and brushing the back of his hand over his neck. Marshall kept his eyes closed but hummed in thought.

"Yeah...I made you angry." Bubba chuckled and thought back to how he had reacted.

"Okay, I wasn't mad..." Marshall opened his eyes and raised one eyebrow as he gave Bubba an unconvinced look. "Alright well I was sort of mad. I just thought that you played so well...so then when you spoke and were so cocky and annoying I was really surprised." Marhshall laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Oh no. I opened my mouth and scared you away."

"I wouldn't say you scared me away completely.." He leaned down to capture Marshall's lips in a soft kiss before he felt Marshall smiling against his own mouth, in turn making him smile. "What?" He pulled away slightly to look at the dark-haired man with curiosity.

"Nuthin... just guess you're right. Until tomorrow that is." Just like that the mood died and Bubba looked to the side. Somehow they'd managed to avoid the topic up until that point. He sighed and ran his fingers through Marshall's hair as he glared at him lightly.

"Thats different, and its not like I'm gone for good either..." He smirked and tilted his head at Marshall teasingly. "I'm not that easy to get rid of, sorry." Marshall chuckled as well and Bubba was too late in defending his side from the man's pinching fingers.

"Good, i don't want you to disappear forever." Bubba swatted at the males hands and eventually gave up and just grabbed Marshall's hands in his own. He smiled and brought both of them to his lips before he kissed each of Marshall's knuckles individually as the other male watched with tinted cheeks.

He didn't want to miss a second of what he looked like, smelled like, tasted like. Who knew when they'd be able to see each other again in person...if they'd be able to see each other again. Bubba closed his eyes and fought off all of the thoughts related to that one. They would see each other again, there was no doubt in his mind that they would see each other again. Lies.

Somewhere in his chest...there was a seed of doubt.

He crushed it brutally as Marshall shifted and leaned forward to kiss him. He crushed that seed of doubt into dust as he kissed him back with everything he had in him and all thoughts related to leaving or being far away left his brain and were replaced by thoughts of how nice Marshall's tongue felt against his as they kissed.

Who knows how long they laid wrapped up in each other kissing. It wasn't until he was breathless and dizzy from lack of oxygen that Marshall let him pull away from their kiss. His hand rested on the other males neck as he pressed their foreheads together and took a moment to breathe. He wasn't the only one out of breath though.

They stayed like that, foreheads pressed against one another softly for a lengthy amount of time. As Bubba breathed in, so did Marshall and they slowly exhaled together. Breathing each other in, breathing the moment in.

"Did you tell your parents we were together?" His focus was pulled to less pleasant topics as Marshall brought that particular issue up and Bubba made a sound in the back of his throat that was a mix between an upset cat and a growl. He pulled away slightly, letting his hands rest on the sides of Marshall's neck as their eyes met.

"How is that relevant? I thought we were dedicating tonight to 'us', not to my parents."

Marshall shrugged and looked to the side. During their moments of silence it seemed that the other might have been thinking about what had happened earlier.

"Is this about what he said to you?" Bubba watched the man's expression like a hawk, his gaze floating over furrowed eyebrows, wispy ink colored hair and pursed lips. God but Marshall was gorgeous, even when he was concerned. Again he committed that expression to memory, imprinted it into his mind forever.

"Kind of...It just bothers me." Marshall huffed and pulled away from Bubba's hold as he moved to sit up with his elbow resting on his one bent knee. The other leg stretched in front of him as he exposed his bare back to Bubba and bowed his head in thought. Bubba felt it in his chest as Marshall tried to hide his expression by turning his body away. He shifted in response until he could wrap his arms around his stomach and pull him closer. Chest pressed to Marshall's back he ran the tip of his nose up the side of his neck slowly, savoring the feel of their skin to skin contact.

"I love you..." He said the words quietly but firmly into the dark-haired males neck as he held him flush against his chest and let his thumb stroke gently over the skin of Marshall's' side. Marshall stiffened slightly in his arms before relaxing back into them. Bubba watched him cover his face with a hand in silence as he waited.

"I love you too..." His nose remained pressed into his neck and he felt Marshall swallow slowly and carefully. The words sat heavy in the air above them, a promise more than a declaration.

"My dad was never really around...and my mom left Marcy and I. What you have, how much your parents care about you is...difficult for me to understand. It doesn't make sense to me at all but at the same time I'm kind of jealous." Bubba felt the male's ribcage move with small laughter and in response he hugged him tighter and softly let his nose slide up the pale column of his neck and to his jaw. With soft motions he littered butterfly kisses along Marshall's jaw and held him close.

"Marshall. I'm going to come back for you. Its not goodbye forever I swear it..." He trailed off and felt the man in his arms tremble slightly.

"It still hurts..."

"I know, I feel it too." Bubba relaxed his hold on the male slightly so that he could reach up to tilt Marshall's head back to kiss him softly. First on the cheek and then on his lips.

Whatever had made him pull away faded with soft touches and kisses and eventually Marshall relaxed back with Bubba and hugged him as he rested his head on his upper chest. Bubba was relieved and kept his arms gently around Marshall as they relaxed into the darkness around themselves. Time flew by but neither of them slept in the silence.

It was probably about one in the morning before either of them spoke again, this time the silence was broken by Marshall. Bubba felt him hold tightly onto his hand and rub mindless circles on the back of it with his thumb.

"What do you love about me..."

Bubba had been drifting in his own thoughts as he gently stroked his hand up and down Marshall's back, but he paused and considered the question. Hadn't that been what he had been contemplating this entire evening?

"Everything." he paused and decided to elaborate before Marshall could disagree with him. "You're gorgeous. I love your hair, your smile the way you laugh. I love the way you get really focused on your guitar when you play and lose yourself in the music. I love how carefree you are and yet over protective of your little sister. I love how annoying you are, and I can tolerate your need to tease me. That would be your only flaw I think, that and how lazy you are. You annoy the shit out of me sometimes but at least I'm never bored." he chuckled and ran his fingers through Marshall's hair.

"Hey I am not that annoying and i'm only lazy at work. Kinda." He shrugged to dismiss the negative claims.

"You're very lazy and you know it. I think if society let you, you would sleep through the entire day and stay up at night." They both chuckled at that and Marshall shrugged in agreement. A silence fell for a moment again before it was broken again by Marshall.

"I love your smile too, and the look you get on your face when you're embarrassed or frustrated. You also do this cute thing where you bite your lip and try to hide behind a bad attitude when you're uncomfortable or flustered. You're brave and I love how peaceful you look when you sleep. Plus you're incredibly smart..." he trailed off at the end and Bubba felt his chest swell with emotion.

He smiled and pulled him up closer so that he could plant a kiss on the top of Marshall's head and hold him close. "I love you, so much Marshall..."

"You barely know me." He snorted in amusement and Bubba rolled his eyes.

"Same goes for you. Doesn't change the fact that I want to know you more than I've ever wanted anything." He observed as Marshall stared at him with wide eyes, clearly he'd struck a cord. 

Marshal nodded and held on tightly in return "I love you too Bubba..."

It was bittersweet as they had known it would be. With the lights turned off they laid in the darkness, wrapped up and around each other in unfathomable ways both physically and emotionally. Eventually they settled with Bubba pressed tightly up against Marshall from behind as he held him close and their fingers became laced together against Marshall's stomach.

Bubba pressed his lips to Marshalls cheek as the darkness settled comfortably around them. "I don't think I actually managed to do any relaxing on this vacation..." Bubba whispered his thoughts out loud in a dryly amused tone, managing to pull a snicker from the man in his arms. He watched as Marshall bit his lip to hide a grin and he once again memorized the expression in the dark.

"Hm... getting kidnapped can do that to you. Was it worth it? To leave the comfort of your home only to have to face all this bullshit?" He actually thought about it before he answered. Had it been worth it to travel all the way up here just to be tormented and even suffer through being kidnapped and detained at the hospital for a few days? Despite the terror of the last few days and nights, he found that all of his memories made his stomach flutter slightly.

Softly he pressed his lips to his lover's ear and murmured affectionately into it. "I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't do it all again..." he spoke nothing but the truth. If he had to repeat all of that in order to land himself on this very bed, with this impossibly gorgeous man in his arms then he would one hundred percent do it all again. "Wouldn't you?"

Marshall hesitated but Bubba was paitient as he softly stroked his fingers over the male's stomach and waited for an answer.

"I could do without the night I found out you were missing...and that whole weekend. That was hell. But, I'd still do it again, just to be here." The pain was clear in his voice and he clutched him even tighter to his chest and trailed soft butterfly kisses along the nape of Marshall's gorgeous pale neck and his ear.

"That must have been hell... I'm sorry."

Marshall snorted in dark amuesment.

"Don't apologize. It's not like you asked to be kidnapped... your ass is just too fine apparently for old ladies to resist." As much as they joked the terror of the situation was still real and he didn't want to go through that again. She still haunted his nightmares and darkest thoughts. She was in slang terms, a crazy bitch.

"Maybe we should get me a sign that says 'Taken' so that people leave me alone?" He said it jokingly but seriously worried at how far Marshall would be willing to take the silly idea.

"Oh! let's get you a sign that says 'Property of Marshall Lee' I like that. It's sexy."

"A sign on my ass like a license plate would NOT be sexy Marshall." He rolled his eyes.

"I beg to differ. What if it was only a sign on your ass."

"Well your opinion is wrong and I was joking."

A brief pause lingered between them.

"that's going to be your anniversary present..."

"Oh god please no." Bubba paled at the thought that Marshall would actually get that made for him. He leaned forward to bite the males ear and growl into it. "Don't do it. I will dress you from head to toe in pink if you do. Barbie pink."

"Only if you want me to throw up on it."

"Ew." 

If he had to, he would make good on that threat, but it seemed that Marshall was already calming down from the teasing.

Their breathing evened out as the late hour finally started to set into both of their minds and bodies. As nice as it was to pretend that neither one of them needed sleep, it was an inevitability that they would be swept up by soft sighs and dreams. Marshall tucked himself impossibly close to Bubba as if he was seeking warmth from him like his life depended upon it. Bubba was a beautifully flickering flame and Marshall was the nocturnal creature impossibly attracted to that warm and comforting flare.

Sorrowful dreams with distress at every turn plagued Bubba that night, and every time he awoke with a slight shiver or a muscle spasm the thin fingers that stroked over his arms and hands and reached up to caress his neck lulled his over-active brain back into a comfortable sleep. Each touch brought him closer to comfort and relief when he knew that the other male was indeed in his arms and the images of him being stabbed or lost were just fragments of his own imagination spurred on by the dreadful coming morning and his recent traumatic experiences.

At least he wasn't haunted by that god damned woman that night. No, instead his dreams were painfully about Marshall being in distress and injured or missing. The fact that he was touching him every time he awoke laced his veins with guilt as he realized the next morning that he must have been continuously waking Marshall up during the night.

"Sorry..."

Light streamed in-between the cracks of the cheap blinds Marshall had outfitted his bedroom window with. They had probably managed about three or four solid hours of sleep. That is if you took all the bits and pieces and smashed them together into one large chunk. Bubba felt as if he'd smashed his head into a wall repeatedly throughout the duration of the night due to the groginess of his head and his lack of feeling rested. A headache was also blooming steadily behind his left eye socket which didn't help.

"It's okay, I was having them too." Marshall rolled to face him and reached up to gently caress his cheek with soft fingers as he blinked bleary red eyes. "I don't have anything to do today either, and you can sleep on the plane." Bubba watched as Marshall stretched and yawned, he heard the distinct sounds of a spine cracking multiple times. Slowly he reached out to run his fingers down the arched length of Marshall's back, gently feeling each vertebrae.

"Don't break in half now"

"Hmm not likely, but thanks for the concern Bubs."

They had a few hours before they had to meet at the airport with the entire Gumball family and both took their time getting ready. He had plans to enjoy these few hours they had left. Bubba had purposefully tugged Marshall into the shower with him and savored each water-logged kiss ad touch they shared in the steamy heat. It was bliss having Marshall bent over in front of him as the hot water beat down on both of them in the best of ways. What made it blissful was not just the pleasure they both recieved, but the emotional cord each well aimed thrust struck in both of them.

It wasn't just sex, and Bubba was very quickly realizing that it had never been 'just sex' and he'd be hard pressed to find anyone else in the world that would be able to fill the gap in his life like Marshall did. It was apparent that he didn't want to fill that gap with anyone but Marshall, there would be no other person quite like him and it broke his heart as their time had dwindled down to the last few hours.

Breakfast was casual as they fought over diabetes inducing sugared cereal and ended up taking turns eating out of the same bowl of Lucky Charms.

"This is sickeningly sweet." Marshall twirled his spoon accusingly at Bubba and he quirked an eyebrow in confusion and interest.

"The cereal? Well yeah, it has like twenty eight fucking grams of sugar per bite." Marshall shook his head and shoveled another spoonful into his mouth as he chewed thoughtfully.

"I meant the fact that we're sharing a freaking bowl and I'm sitting on your lap."

Bubba rolled his eyes and abandoned his own spoon in favor of wrapping his arms around the thin and attractive waist of the man perched on his thighs. Yeah it was kind of vomit worthy sappy, but he was good at that sort of thing so whatever.

"You're the one that bitched about having to do dishes and not wanting to pull up another chair."

"I guess I did, but I was right. Now we only have one bowl and my ass is significantly warmer on your lap than it would have been in a chair."

"And my legs are asleep. I'm beginning to think I got the short end of the stick in this deal." Marshall scooped up the last bite of cereal and gave his boyfriend a look as he swallowed. Bubba's lips met the other mans with a smile gracing his features.

"There is no short end to this stick. We both got cavity causing breakfast and you benefit from having my wonderful ass on your legs." God but Marshall could be so egocentric sometimes. He merely rolled his eyes and hugged the other man closer as he rested his chin on a pale tank top clad shoulder and hummed thoughtfully.

"Yeah yeah, your glorious ass and all."

"Hey I'm sore."

"Didn't hear you complaining a few minutes ago."

"Thats because the soreness didn't take affect until after, duh."

They bickered lightly for the remainder of the morning until both decided to give up on trying to win any kind of argument. Their conversations always seemed to take that form. Bubba wouldn't have traded it for the world, their conversations were an example of how well matched they were in wit as well as personality. Their banter was a sign of their affection.

Until Marshall made fun of his pink sweater and that meant war all the way to the airport.

\---------------------------

Marshall was conflicted as he stood hand in hand with his boyfriend in front of the airport terminal as a man with blonde hair and his trophy wife strode towards them from the entrance to the airport.

On one hand he wanted to cling to the man beside him with everything he had and publicly claim him in front of the horrifyingly assertive father headed in their direction. On the other hand he wanted to drop Bubba's hand and hide behind him or run like a bat out of hell like the coward he was.

Bubba's dad scared him out of his wits. Not because he was taller, broader, intimidating or abrasive in general towards him and everyone around him. No he was terrified of him because Marshall knew that he single handedly blamed him for everything that had happened on this vacation. None of the good stuff of course, only the bad things.

Having that thrust upon him by a man he barely knew was frustrating and humiliating. Internally he'd told himself not to take it personally and to ignore the generally unpleasant man but that worked about as well as bathing a cat with one hand and no thumbs. In other words it didn't work.

Marshall stood frozen in place and gripped tightly to the lifeline that doubled as his boyfriends hand. His better half's hand. His soul mates hand. God, he was getting sappy as heck, what the hell was this. Next thing you know he'd be wearing the color pink willingly. Fat chance.

Bubba squeezed his hand softly and laced their fingers tighter together as the blonde pair came to a stop in front of them. Unlike him, Bubba seemed perfectly fine and actually slightly annoyed and bored with the approach of his parents. Marshall just prayed he wouldn't say anything stupid. Not that Bubba ever said stupid things, since he basically made professional scientists look dumb most days.

"I see you brought him back in one piece this time, or back at all for that matter." Marshall's expression turned sour in an instant and he made a face at the man.

"Yes he did." Bubba narrowed his gaze at his father and the tone he used when referring to Marshall and well, that just made his heart feel a little tighter in his chest. It made him feel special that Bubba was willing to argue with his own parents over him, made him feel a little less worthless.

"Of course I brought him back. Jeez man." He ceased his grumbling when Bubba gave his hand another warning squeeze.

"Father we need to have a conversation." When there was no response from the man Marshall raised an eyebrow at Bubba, who pushed onwards seemingly unphased. "About how you have been treating my boyfriend since you met him." He stressed the words and it clearly left an impression on both of the adults in front of them.

"Boyfriend Bubba? You do realize how impractical that sound, correct?" Marshall watched as Mr. Gumball crossed his arms over his chest and stared, more like glared, down at the two of them. God it felt like the temperature of the room dropped with that stare, yet Bubba didn't even flinch. Marshall hated parents, really he did.

"Yes father, boyfriend. I realize but simply do not care. If you have any concerns now would be the time to speak up." A thin pink eyebrow raised challengingly at the other man and Marshall looked helplessly from one man to the other. They were so similar but one was clearly younger and more pink, both equally intimidating in their demeanor though as they stared each other down.

"How long have you known him? A week, maybe two maximum? Do you even know him well enough? How about the distance, we may have money but certainly not enough to fly you out here every year. Is he educated? You have University and your career to worry about young man. If some spontaneous trip to Canada jeopardizes the education we have been getting for you since you were a boy I swear to glob." Marshall made a nose in the back of his throat as he glared at the man.

"Hey, I'm educated. I may not be as smart as Bubba but I went through school and made my grades." He wasn't going to settle for being referred to as some uneducated prick. I mean sure Bubba was kidnapped on his watch but that didn't suddenly mean that he was illiterate and uneducated. This guy really knew how to swing hard and unfair punches.

Bubba shifted on his feet and Marshall understood why. All of the claims he'd made, besides the education one, were legitimate concerns but that didn't make their feelings any less real. Alright so he didn't know Bubba like the back of his hand, and he had no information about his past or his childhood or anything really; but the chemistry they felt and the peace of mind he had found these past two weeks was at least something. 

"You know, I was thinking the same things last night and you know what I realized father?" Pink hair bobbed slightly as Bubba tilted his head and pursed his lips at his father. He looked damn hot with that tight-lipped angry expression, like he was about to rip off a tie and get into a bar fight.Scary but intriguing. "I realized that I don't care. That a lot can happen in two weeks if you really savor the time you're given, and that there is no reason for me to hold back based on a tiresome human concept like time. What I feel, is real. What Marshall feels, is real. True there is always more to share, but it's not like I'm proposing to him right here and now."

"Please don't." Marshall was unfortunately on the receiving end of both male's angry stares for a moment and he put his free hand up in surrender. "Hey, just saying. I'd have to reject your proposal because that is moving WAY too fast." After that he promptly shut his mouth and decided that listening was best for now. Sarcasm was apparently not going to alleviate the tension between them.

"The point is, yeah, it's been two weeks but in these two weeks I've discovered that I want to learn more about Marshall and to do that I want to spend time with him. What better way to do that than to date him and figure out who the heck he is. Yeah he's a shady arrogant enigma, but I like that about him and I'm finding that I like a lot about him." Bubba took a steadying breath as Marshall stared. He was so...flattered by his words, I mean besides the shady and arrogant part, that his breath was stuck in his throat and speaking was physically impossible. It was even more difficult when Bubba turned a much softer gaze onto him and completely ignored his father, who was clearly fuming. Marshall expected to see smoke coming from his ears any moment.

"So i'll go back with you, but that doesn't change anything. This is the man I'm dating right now and I would like it if you'd show him just a little bit of respect because sure, he's strange and annoying at times and i want to strangle him as much as i want to kiss him but thats what I love about him. He also saved my life after I was dumb enough to be kidnapped, so please, lay off." His words were said with the perfect amount of softness and sting that made his point clear but also soothed Marshall's nerves as his hand was squeezed and a thumb rubbed over the back in a circular pattern.

Marshall had almost forgotten the existence of the blonde man and woman standing in front of them until Bubba's father cleared his throat. The raspy sound made him blink and look away from the purple eyes he'd been drawn in by. The wave of emotions he felt was hard to ignore and he was already getting choked up and they weren't even at security yet. Someone, who could say so many nice things about him, and love him like this, it hurt to know that he had to let that go in less than two hours now. Just like smoke slipping through his shaking fingers, Bubba would be gone again.

It was like trying to catch a bright ray of sunshine on your bed and trap it. The light was beautiful and it was futile not to want to lay down in it and soak it up, but the longer you try and soak it up the more it travels away until the sun disappears and night comes to take its place. In his mind, Marshall liked to think about them as Day and night. Bubba was brilliant, he was sunshine, he was wonderful and warm. Marshall on the other hand, he was midnight. Calm with stars, filled with mischief and disaster but all the same beautiful and mysterious. The Moon and Sun, constantly chasing each other but it was impossible to coexist in the same sky at the same time except for during a very rare time....a Solar eclipse. Their time together was a drawn out solar eclipse, in its finals stages, and it was breaking his heart.

Mr. Gumball heaved a disgruntled sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose as he thought for a long moment. Marshall's breath became caught up in his throat, something dangerous was in the air if only he knew what it was, but this was between Bubba and his dad. He was just a semi-innocent bystander.

"Fine, whatever. I'm not a part of your love life. Just know that I warned you and that i think this is ridiculous. I just want you to be home and safe as soon as possible. Also your studies have to get done, once you've completed everything you need to for your degrees I can't do anything about where you take yourself." Marshall didn't know if they had been searching for approval or apologies but the result didn't seem half bad. His mouth quirked upwards into a smirk as he watched Mr. Gumball offer his arm to his wife before he ushered them both over towards the ticket check-in lines. Whatever had transpired, it was over now.

Bubba squeezed Marshall's hand protectively as he watched his parents retreat towards the airline check in.

"Well that wasn't so bad." They both shrugged as their eyes met. It was honorable that Bubba was willing to do that for him and really he was greatful.

"Thanks Bubba." Gently he reached out and poked him on the nose with a smile before turning and tugging him towards the ticket gate. Marceline and Bonnie were quick to join them in the line, having been behind due to the two trunks of luggage they were carrying.

"Ah I see you two made it safely. So how was last night?" Bonnie's pink hair bobbed as she eyed the two of them. Marshall shifted on his feet as he glanced at his partner and shrugged.

"It was nice. I mean bittersweet but whatever."

"We didn't get much sleep in the end though and not for the reasons you're thinking." Bubba chimed in from his side to roll his eyes at the two girls who were obviously thinking along different lines. Marshall thought back to the shower and the hot feeling of Bubba and the water and... He stopped his thoughts and simply decided to NOT bring that up. Besides they'd technically only asked about the night, not the morning.

"Uh huh, sure." Marceline was not buying it but Marshall found that irrelevant, he couldn't bring himself to care if she wanted to poke fun at his sex life. It wasn't like he was ashamed of it or anything, so why should they keep trying to deny it? Besides at the end of the day it didn't matter. There was still a plane waiting to take the entire Gumball family home more than one thousand miles away from him.

As a group, they made their way towards the security lines in order to proceed to the gates. Mr. Gumball and his wife lead the mostly somber group progression with eagerness and fast footsteps. Behind them Bonnie managed to mostly keep up, even with Marceline dragging her feet a bit as she stubbornly tried to delay the inevitable. 

That was all nothing compared to the way both boys lagged behind the group, a good ten to twenty feet of space between them and the others and growing. If it wasn't Marshall seeming to take his damn sweet time walking, then it was Bubba stopping to look at a store for no apparent reason to examine the cheap souvenirs that they both knew he wasn't going to buy.

Neither said a word, too afraid of the chasm of emotion that they were uneasily dancing around at the moment to speak. 

Marshall was not good with goodbyes. If the brief departure from his sister was any indication at all. He found them awkward and painful and generally hated them. Maybe that was because his parents had never really taught him what proper goodbyes should be like and he'd only know what it was like to wake up and find someone gone without even the chance to say goodbye. There was no point in psychoanalyzing his childhood over it, he hated goodbyes, they sucked and that was that.

He had a feeling that this one would be particularly painful.

"Bubba! Come on, we only have forty minutes to get to our gate. We have to go through security now." Marshall looked over his shoulder at Bonnie and noticed the impatient tap of Mr. Gumball's foot behind her. Beside him he heard Bubba set yet another ridiculous coffee mug down on the shelf with a sigh.

"Alright. We're coming." Marshall called back for him as he tugged gently on the other male's hand. "Come on Bubba, we both know you really don't want a tacky Canadian mug." He didn't have to hear the snort of laughter behind him to know that Bubba was smiling, he could just feel it.

"Maybe I do? How would you know Marshall?" It felt nice to finally break the silence that had surrounded them since they'd left the house that morning. Even if it was useless banter about coffee mugs.

"Because nobody wants a Canadian coffee mug that has a Mountie for a handle." Bubba did a double take at the mug he had been picking up, and sure enough there was the Mountie, bent backwards to curve into the shape of a mug handle. It was so obvious that Bubba hadn't even been looking at the mug. He'd had that far away look that Marshall noticed he had whenever he would think about things.

"Oh. Wow." Marshall reached out and shoved the other male playfully.

"You are such a dork. I can't believe you didn't even notice that."

"I-I.... Well I was thinking about other things and...I wasn't exactly looking at the c-cup." Bubba's face had turned a light pink color and Marshall took a moment to admire it before he tugged him closer and leaned in to place a kiss neatly on his cheek.

"Uh huh. Whatever you say Mountie loving man."

"M-Marshall!" Laughter surrounded both of them as they made their way towards the group gathered outside of the security checkpoint. Bonnie and Marceline were already saying their goodbyes, and based on his impatient expression, Mr. Gumball was past ready to go.

"Dad just go through. Bonnie and I will be through in a moment and we'll meet you on the other side. I know you hate security check lines." Marshall's hand was squeezed softly and he looked up at Bubba before returning the gesture. They both eyed Mr. Gumball as the man crossed his arms.

"Trying to get rid of me?"

"You don't have to go, it was just a suggestion. I mean it is your choice but either way I'm going to ignore you for the next five minutes." The amount of sass leaving Bubba's mouth was actually shocking, it was his father he was talking to, but that didn't stop him from taking it another step farther as he turned his back on his father to face Marshall.

He already wasn't on the mans good side, but he couldn't find it in himself to care if their actions were upsetting him as Bubba leaned down to claim his lips in a soft kiss. Yeah he really didn't care about much after that. Screw parents, he was an adult.

Bubba was right, as much as he loathed to admit something like that, these five minutes were theirs and he couldn't find it in himself to give a fuck about anyone else at that moment. Two weeks of time that he'd had to get to know the irritating, adorable, funny, entertaining and interesting man named Bubba. 

Neither bothered to check if the two adults had decided to stay or go ahead when they pulled away from the kiss. Marshall couldn't bear to face the emotions that were pumping through his veins and chose instead to hide his face in Bubba's shoulder as he took a deep breath and let it out slowly. He wasn't going to cry, that would ruin everything. 

"It's not goodbye for forever Marshall. Remember that." The words that were whispered into his hair did little to convince him but he nodded silently. "I'll be back before you know it. Besides, the Internet is a wonderful world-wide resource for connections."

"Yeah, right." He inhaled again, his nose betraying his emotions as he sniffled slightly and pulled himself together. Look at him, getting emotional over a man he'd met two weeks ago. Who had turned his life upside down and made him see every day differently. A man that had scared the life out of him and destroyed him when he'd thought he'd gone missing for good. 

Slowly he pulled away from the shoulder in front of him and gripped the sides of Bubba's face gently with his hands. His fingers extended up to his cheek bones and down the sides of the males soft pale neck as he rested their foreheads together and composed himself.

"Promise you'll actually message me? I hear Californians can be really fucking busy sometimes." Bubba mimicked his position and smiled softly, he could hear it in his voice, the sad little smile. Too bad he'd closed his eyes to help hold himself together, he would have liked to see that smile for himself.

"I swear. I might be a busy man but I can promise that i'll have time to message you at least once a week."

"Ouch, not even once a day? What if I get lonely." Oh god it hurt. Marshall did everything in his power to fight his rising emotions.

"I'm flattered that you even want me to message you once a day, I thought I got on your nerves."

"Only when you're being a prude. I actually like arguing with you sometimes, because I usually win."

Smiling was easy again and their banter came as easily as breathing. This was the foundation of their relationship. This easy, witty, fun and amazing banter was the foundation of their chemistry. Everything else was just a bonus, the icing on the cake if you will entertain a cliche expression. The sex, the cuddling, the kisses and everything physical was all just the extra sweetness, the importance lay in the easy banter that they both delighted in and gained insight from. Insight into each other and into the world. It seemed horribly odd and slightly deranged that they would enjoy arguing but, it opened their eyes. They could call each other on their bluffs happily. It improved them.

"You wish that were the case Marshall, all of our arguments end in mostly mutual agreements and you know it." He didn't need the lips to silence him because he actually agreed with Bubba on that one. They understood each other through their arguments and it made absolutely no sense and he wouldn't have changed it for the world. 

The voice on the intercom piped up about several flight delays and brought them back to the real world. To the stares and a few stray whispers from people around them and the bustling of an airport with people that needed to be places. Reluctantly Marshall pulled Bubba in close and hugged him tighter than ever before. God it hurt so much to know he'd have to stand there and watch him walk away willingly, but it had been inevitable from the start. Watching someone you love leave at an airport was probably one of the most painful things he'd ever done. Second to being told that the person you loved had been kidnapped.

"It's not goodbye Marshall, it's not." He spoke the words firmly into his ear.

"I know. I'll see you later then?" They pulled away and there was an understanding between them that was impossible to put into words. A promise of sorts to keep between them for whenever they would meet again. Marshall leaned up for one more gentle kiss and held it, who knew how long it would be until he was allowed to taste those lips again. 

Their hands separated one at a time as they separated, Marshall stepped backwards and nodded towards the gate. A small hand slid down to rest on his upper back and he knew Marceline was beside him. Bonnie had apparently waited for her twin brother because she took his hand and nodded towards security.

"Ready to go then?" He watched as the twins nodded and waved to him and his sister. Here it was. Goodbye, or not really goodbye.

"Have a safe flight. I love you bubblegum." Marceline grinned at her girlfriend and Marshal chuckled at the two of them and the fact that Bonnibel made a face and stuck out her tongue at the nickname she had been assigned. Marshall was focused on Bubba again though.

"See you later Bubs. Don't crash your flight."

"I'm not flying the plane you dork, but I'll do my best." with their final words they turned to go, but before Bubba could completely turn around he mouthed three beautiful words. Now Marshall was absolutely horrible at reading lips but he could at least decipher that. Somehow not saying it out loud made it stronger. He mouthed them back and felt his mouth stretch into a grin despite the stinging in his eyes and the pinching of his ribcage.

There was no reason to cry, he reminded himself, this wasn't a goodbye. It was a promise, to look forward to even better things in the future. He'd never been a very patient man but waiting for Bubba didn't feel like a hard task, the reward more than made up for the wait after all. He would wait, for the day when he could once again wake up to Bubba insulting his morning breath and telling him he was annoying.

They watched the twins go through security and Marshall just about busted a rib laughing when Bubba had to get patted down because his belt set off the security alarms. Soon enough they were completely out of sight and staring at the lines of people going through security became a pointless activity. His sight was blurred slightly but he brought a hand up to rub his eyes and fought back the thick feeling in his chest.

"Ready to go? Or do you want to cry a bit first?" He punched her arm a bit harder than he probably should have, but she returned it by punching him in the gut and nearly made him throw up his half digested Lucky Charms from breakfast. Don't be fooled, girls punch hard.

It was almost easy to go back to the apartment and toss his keys onto the table and head towards his room with his hand combing through his fingers. Everything was back to normal as if a reset button had suddenly been pushed. It was home, it was normal. 

Except for the bubblegum pink sweatshirt with a gold crown design in the middle that was neatly laid out on his bed. He stared for a moment before grinning from ear to ear. Marshall had a feeling one of his shirts was missing, but he didn't bother to check, in fact he didn't need to. 

He just knew.


	23. Letting Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man I don't want to stop writing this fic I love it too much but the story is at an end and I AM SAD. Here's the second to last chapter then...I apologize if I hoard the last chapter for awhile because I don't want to let this end.  
> (I'm kidding I'll have it up soon hopefully ; A;)
> 
> In other news, SECOND TO LAST CHAPTER. Thank you all so much for the support and comments and kudos. You've kept me going and I'm so glad you like the story! Without further delay please enjoy!

It was only a few months later that Marshall started to notice the signs. He'd managed to keep regular contact with Bubba and he actually anticipated each time the other male suggested that they do a video call. He was of course too stubborn himself to suggest them, even though he felt like begging most days. His relationship was fine and although he missed him terribly he was okay with dealing with the distance for now.

Their first video call had ranked in Marshall's top five most awkward moments of his life, mostly because they both had no idea what to say and somehow being on video chat was incredibly different. It was like getting to know each other all over again but eventually the newly reformed ice was broken and the silences became comfortable once again. They'd talked about the flight and how they had been, both men had adamantly denied any sort of crying about the departure and moved on. Bubba spent a good portion of their first call griping about his dad and how he was grounded for getting kidnapped and the overprotective tendencies of his parents. Marshall had promptly bragged about living on his own and told Bubba to "grow up and move out you toddler" which resulted in an argument.

His relationship was great. Especially the bickering.

The signs he noticed, pertained to Marceline. Everyday at work she was a little less enthusiastic, a little too focused on her phone. She nagged him less and as a result he actually started pulling more weight as she started slacking off, which was odd for her. Of course she was a sarcastic individual who was always up to have fun but as more days passed she became more and more focused on her own thoughts and less attached to the real world.

It was then that he started to save bits and pieces of his paycheck into a fund and slowly it grew. It only took a few more weeks before he had more than enough to send her off with. He'd been preparing by talking to Bonnie and finding out where she was headed in the United States. It turned out that she was headed to Chicago for school and as they talked and figured out plans together Marshall kept a close eye on Marceline.

The more he watched Marceline and noticed her staying up late a night, the more money he set aside for her. Occasionally he would wake up, slip on the uncharacteristically pink sweatshirt of Bubba's and head out into the living room only to find his little sister passed out on the couch. Her phone was usually clutched tightly to her chest. One particular night she was groaning in her sleep, about sandy beaches and pink bubblegum princesses. It was that week that he knew it was time to contact Bonnie and set the dates in stone.

At the end of their Saturday night shift at the cafe he finally approached her with the envelope he'd been preparing for quite some time. He handed it to her silently and leaned back against one of the many tables of the cafe.

"What the hell is this?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow and tone of confusion.

"Just open it you brat." He chuckled and casually tossed the towel he had been wiping tables with over his shoulder. With crossed arms he observed as she pulled out the one way plane ticket to California and the already converted American money, a total of $800 cash. Her expression was priceless and completely worth all of the frustration of having to keep the entire thing a secret and organize it and make Bonnie swear to not say a word.

"Marshall....What is this?"

"Isn't it obvious? An itinerary for a plane ticket to California and some American cash." He watched as she looked over it again and pulled out some forms. He quickly explained what they were. "Those are documents for proof of your dual citizenship in case you run into trouble in the states as well as your insurance card, social security card and everything you need." He trailed off and took in her expression as everything was processed in her mind. She looked a little bit panicked but that could have just been his misinterpretation.

"Everything I need for what?" Oh, she did sound a little panicked. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly, a grin plastered indefinitely on his face.

"To live in the United States. I'm kicking you out." He thought it was funny, but apparently she thought it was worth a kick to the shin. "Motherfuck!"

"Watch your language Marshall." He groaned in pain and gave her a look as he rubbed gingerly at his now undoubtedly bruised shin. Why he always received painful punishments was beyond him, maybe he had an invisible flashing sign above his head that said 'Please abuse". Marshall snorted at his own thoughts and shook his head as he reluctantly let go of his shin.

"I really didn't think that was worth bruising me over."

"You're always worth bruising."

"Whatever, moving on. You're going to the states." He crossed his arms and eyed his little sister with a smug expression. Marceline glared back at him before tossing her hair over her shoulder and scoffing.

"Says who? Why would i even want to go live in the United States honestly?" Not this again. He knew they were both stubborn, but this stubborn? It was so painfully obvious that she wanted to go join Bonnie in the States that is was starting to cause even him heart ache. His hand lifted to swat her on the head lightly.

"Oh come off it. You've been distracted for weeks. Look, I'm your big brother and you're going to do what I tell you. Besides your plane ticket isn't refundable and a certain someone is already expecting to pick you up from the airport. If I have to go back and change all of those plans I'm not going to be happy. So just be a good little sister and do what your big brother tells you for once in your life." He smiled softly and rested his hand on her head. "It's for your own good I promise." 

Conflicting emotions traveled across Marceline's expression and he wondered briefly what she was processing. It might have been a bit of a shock but he found her concern to be unnecessary really. Slowly the emotions faded as he scrutinized her expression until there was suddenly a lot of Marceline in his arms and a lot of hair in his face. So. Much. Hair.

"Unfh!! Marcelinb i canb breath" Whilst choking on hair he was being given an incredibly tight hug, both making it difficult to breathe. He managed to spit out the hair that had found its way down his throat and managed to wrap his arms around her as well. God but he was terrible at showing affection in proper ways to his sister and he ended up petting her hair. "Trying to kill me with your hair, Gee what a great way to say thank you." He snickered.

"...Thank you." That was unexpected. Marshall paused in his petting of her hair to look down at his little sister. She was shaking slightly, her breaths weren't even. His own heart struggled to keep up with his breathing for a moment. Was she crying?

"M-Marcy? Are you crying?" his eyes widened as he held her with a confused and surprised expression. Why was she crying? had he done something wrong? What if she actually didn't want to go to the United States and now she was scared because she actually thought he was kicking her out? His mind spun out of control as he wondered why the hell his little sister was crying. This was not what he'd expected.

"No I'm not!"

"But you are!"

"I'm not! Don't make me punch you dweeb!" She growled out the words and he threw his arms up in a position of surrender.

"Fine, fine you're not." Marshall paused and teetered on his feet when he was released and Marceline focused her attention back onto the plane ticket encased in the plain envelope.

"I leave in four days then?"

"Yup. Just enough time for you to pack everything. Anything you can't pack I'm going to ship to you or whatever. Besides i have something to send Bubba as well so..." He shrugged and toed at the leg of a table absently as the tension between them suddenly increased. How they had become so unable to cope with being emotional around each other was completely unknown to him but it seemed to be an unavoidable part of their sibling relationship.

"Right. Well then! I'm going to go make sure the back door is locked you just...hold onto that and wipe of tables or something." He made a quick escape towards the back of the cafe where he hung up his apron and tripled checked the back door. Silently he leaned his forehead against the cool metal surface and took a deep breath. His lungs shuddered and it vibrated through his whole body. Upon his exhale everything slumped just slightly, heavy with repressed emotion.

That was that then. Marceline was going off into the world to partake in some unknown crazy adventure with an important girl. She was, due to lack of a better phrase, all grown up now. He was going to miss her, but Canada was no place for her. Marceline needed excitement and change and something different from the normal, docile Canadian air. Something she would find in California or maybe Chicago if the girls really did travel up there later.

"Hurry up Marshmallow, it's time to go!" He paused as her voice traveled from the front room of the cafe and he pushed away from the door reluctantly. He was going to miss locking up the cafe with her...walking to work with her. Everything. Change was upon them, and holy shit was he going to miss his baby sister. 

....

Four days later he took Marceline to the airport with her two large suitcases and carry on and watched her enter security to board a plane bound for the same place that everyone seemed to leave him for. He stood and watched the lines of people being patted down and searched and scanned for a few seconds but It was too painful once he remembered watching a certain pink-haired man leave at that very same airport not long ago. So he quickly showed himself out. 

On the way home he took no shame in stopping by a bar and sliding onto a stool to drown his sorrows. It hurt to let her go, but he was also excited for her and a little jealous. Alas his life was here, in Toronto not in California and he had to accept that and let her go on her own adventures. None of those thoughts stopped him from worrying though.

So he drank a good amount, or maybe a little more than a good amount and somehow managed to stumble his way back to his apartment. That night he curled up in his little sisters bed, like he would ever willingly admit that to anyone though. In his defense he was really drunk and her room came before his in the short hallway, so the bed was closer. 

The hangover he dealt with the next day at work was not fun. It didn't help that Fionna was back and happily tormenting him for his poor judgment. She'd recovered just fine over the past months. Her arm had given her trouble at first and of course Fiona had gotten frustrated easily with it and taken her anger out on him and Finn. Luckily for him she couldn't hit him with trays nearly as hard as she used to while it was healing. Sadly said healing process was almost completely over now and all that remained was a thin pink scar that ran along her arm in a two inch gash. 

Her dexterity was a bit impaired in her forearm but with some therapy and constant use in hitting, dragging around, giving ruthless high-fives to and generally abusing Marshall she was gaining back all of her skill much faster than the doctors thought she would have. Marshall just figured that they were all lucky nobody got seriously injured. That knife could have done more serious damage and as it was he knew they both woke up sweating from nightmares about crazy ladies with life-size cardboard cutouts more often than they would like to admit.

Horrible hangover aside, the day had been as normal as usual. Bland was a more accurate word. Wednesdays were always slow days and even then the amount of patrons entering the cafe had dwindled significantly in the past few weeks.

"God could this day get any slower." Fionna leaned against the counter with an exaggerated huff.

"Well i don't know about slower but i wish it would be quieter." Marshall grumbled as he rubbed at his temples and sat slumped on a bar stool like an elderly man with permanent spine damage. He was really hunched over.

"I'M SORRY DID YOU SAY SOMETHING?" The immediately yelled response nearly had him tumbling off of his chair as his head pounded and his ears rung.

"Why....why would you do that!" He groaned and shielded his eyes with his hands when he wasn't shooting glares meant to ignite people at the shorter blonde woman standing next to him with a broom.

"Like I said, your fault for drinking the night before work. Even if you were upset. Besides I have to make sure you stay awake somehow." She shrugged as if all was well with the world. God but it wasn't.

"My sister is now perpetually living in another country, my boyfriend also lives in another country and I have a roaring headache. Could this day get any better?" Sarcasm dripped from his voice as his face became drawn and gaunt with his personal realization. Fionna rolled her eyes as he complained but she did step over and pat him soothingly on the back.

"Come on Marsh its not that bad. You talked to her this morning and i know you talk to Bubba a lot. You're gonna be fine. Besides its not like you to brood over things like this." Silently he chewed on one of his nails and looked away.

"He's been really busy lately." His response was quiet, timid even.

"Your point? Are you honestly worried about that?" She huffed and rolled her eyes skyward at the drama queen sitting next to her. Honestly and she'd though Bubba had been whiny.

"....No. He just....I don't know. It's just easy to forget about someone when they're over a thousand miles away. Plus he's smart and nice and people like to be around him. Not to mention he's really attractive...I mean. It's possible that maybe he found someone more worth his time-OW" The smack he received to the back of his head had them both wincing as Fionna had used her bad arm.

"Marshall Lee you shut up right now! You were not about to say what I think you were." Her hands were on her hips and somehow he knew he'd crossed a line in his complaining. Oh god, could his head handle a lecture? Could his heart handle talking about this anymore? Or was he just going to finally spontaneously combust in the sunlight like the vampire everyone assumed he was?

"More worth his time than whom? Do you really think anyone is more worth his time than the man who saved his flipping life? Honestly Marshall, is Bubba the kind of man to cheat on someone?" He groaned because she was right and he didn't want to admit it. His mind was searching for excuses to be miserable at this point.

"No...He's too nice."

"Exactly! So what makes you even think he would do that? I might as well punch you in the face for comments like that Marsh. Jeez have a little more faith in him." Alright, yes she was right and Bubba wasn't likely to cheat but...still.

"We were only around each other for two weeks Fi. Is that really a basis to have a long distance relationship over? I mean, its not like I'm exactly interested in anyone else but I don't..." He turned in his seat and crossed his arms over his chest as he looked down at his black worn shoes. "He's a bright light that attracts people to him and I'm not. Basically he has a chance to find someone as brilliant as he is out in California and what am I then? The cafe worker who occupied his mind for the space of two weeks? Maybe a month?" God he was really getting himself down over this.

"Marshall..." She heaved a sigh and yanked her stool out before plopping down in it and leaning an arm on the front desk. "Come on dude. You landed a dude that's really awesome hot and now you're worried that you're not what?" Her hand waved in the air as if to pull the correct words straight from nothingness.

"Not adequate?" He supplied said proper term and looked over his shoulder at her. He faked a grin at her but it was more pathetic and sad than funny.

"Yes. Which by the way is totally not true. Come on Marsh if you weren't a total ass and gay even I would date you." He gave her a look and she rolled her bright blue eyes. "I'm being serious. You're charming and funny, you just have a bad streak in your that is a little more annoying than what most people can tolerate. Funny thing is he somehow tolerated it and even bunked with you for a little bit. Admit it, you know he's just as wrapped up in you as you are in him. The man argued with his father over you." Oh right, he'd forgotten that he'd told her about that exciting bit of fact.

He hated it when she was optimistic and it actually made sense. With a sigh Marshall nodded his head and focused his gaze straight ahead. He was being dumb about the whole thing wasn't he? For some reason the idea of a long distance relationship....he really struggled with it. Was it maybe because he was only physically attracted to Bubba?

He did get on his nerves a lot, and sometimes the amount of nerd that Bubba spewed from his mouth made him want to gag. Was it really just physical and that's why he was struggling?

No....he found that nerdy side cute, he missed him and he hadn't even felt remotely attracted to anyone else since he left. not having Marceline around to worry about was finally making him worry about his own problems. Ugh, day one and he was falling apart.

Suddenly a hand connected with the back of his head and he thought right then and there he was going to die. Oh god his head hurt even more now if that was physically even possible.

"Stop thinking dark thoughts!"

"Oh god I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead. It hurts so much." He wasn't able to see Fionna as she rolled her eyes but he could feel it. He just knew she was rolling her eyes and patting herself on the back.

"Fiona! I have a REALLY bad hangover and I had a RECENT concussion! Yell all you want but please refrain, from hitting me on the head!" He hissed the words at her and for a moment they both remained frozen as they stared at each other and Marshall towered over his friend. She'd crossed some invisible hang over line, or at least the line of his pain tolerance.

"If I didn't know any better I'd claim you were a vampire from that hissing and sorry I guess. I just don't like to see you looking confused and hurt. For no good reason too." He heaved a sigh and threw himself back into his chair, immediately regretting it as his head physically throbbed with the pain of sudden motion.

"I'm gonna turn into a vampire and drain you of blood if you hit me again."

"Oh be real Marshall, that's gross."

"Not if it keeps you from hitting me." He sneered with an angry look to match.

"I said I was sorry! I am. I forgot you had a hangover and the concussion thing too."

He grumbled audibly and glared at the counter top. There was no point in taking out his pain and anger on Fiona, she hadn't done anything but help.

"Right. I forgive you... I should probably just go home for the day since it's so slow." It seemed like a viable option. That was until the hardly ever seen or spoken about owner of Le Cafe Rouge decided to show up at the front door. Marshall and Fionna stared at him, pausing for just a moment before immediately straightening up as he approached their shared counter. His expression was pulled tight and his jaw was locked in a seemingly uncomfortable way.The news was not good and the more he talked the more Marshall and Fionna felt the security of their jobs slipping away.

Le Cafe Rouge was going out of business and fast.

There hadn't been enough customers recently to pay for the price of maintaining the space and the owner wasn't willing to take out any loans or pay for anything to keep it going. In fact he informed them he was looking at retiring now that the cafe had seemingly run its course. 

One month. They had one month of notice to when the space would be on the market and they would, for lack of a better word be off the job.

The news was a shocker to say the least, to think that the place he had worked at the past two years was going to close. Hell even before he'd worked there he'd visited and drank coffee there several times. That night when he and Fionna locked up they gave one last hard look at the cafe. Only a month and then they wouldn't be locking up anymore. Absently they wondered what it would become. It was equipped to had a kitchen staff but it could become anything in the world. 

Marshall was sure to inform Bubba about said events during their skype call that night.

He sat with his legs tucked up in front of him on the couch, his laptop rested neatly on the coffee table as he hugged the bright pink sweatshirt around his frame tighter.

"So what are you going to do?" Bubba asked after his explanation and stared at him from what felt like the other side of the world.

"I don't know. I guess I didn't plan to work there for the rest of my life but I didn't exactly have any plans. I need to find a new job, that would be the first step." He eyed the video recording of Bubba on his laptop as he rested his cheek on top of his knees as he thought about what to do. Bubba was making his thinking face and Marshall lifted his head to narrow his eyes at him playfully.

"What? You're making your 'I have an idea' face again." He chuckled and eyed the other male.

"What? I don't make a face what are you talking about." Bubba made an effort to fix his expression and Marshall grinned wider. Oh he so made faces all the time, it was hilarious.

"Whatever. Tell me what you were thinking then?" he idly twisted the sleeve on the sweatshirt around his wrist. the winter was already setting in for Canada and the temperatures had dropped to the point that he could wear the sweatshirt comfortably inside now. Which he was grateful for, he liked wearing it. 

"Well I was wondering how much it would cost and then i was thinking that since it means so much to you, why don't you buy it?" Marshall spluttered slightly before full on laughing at the suggestion. Buy Le Cafe Rouge? And do what with it? I mean truth be told he had been practically running the whole place with his sister since the owner never did anything but to actually buy it? That was a huge commitment.

"Oh? And what would I do with it?"

"Start a business. Or maybe just keep the cafe going?" He snorted in amusement at his boyfriends ambitious thoughts. Bubba, always the dreamer.

"Right right, i'll let you know as soon as I do that." He chuckled and rested his cheek back onto his knees and fought a losing battle against a yawn. It was late since Bubba had been at class until later that night and Marshall was still ahead of him in time zones. It was worth it though, to stay up to talk to Bubba at least for a little bit.

"Alright, well it was just an idea. Are you tired Marshall?" Bubba's voice kept him from dozing off and he blinked to look back at the screen.

"Hm what would give you that idea?"

"Probably the fact that your eyes are closed again for the seventh or eighth time. Also your voice got quieter."' the chuckling from the other end was slightly irritating but Marshall managed to lift his head and give Bubba a piercing stare and a coy smirk.

"Hm, come over here and wake me up then. I can think of a few things that will keep me from sleeping." He made a show of licking his lips as he made eye contact with Bubba who was at the time rolling his eyes and smiling. If he looked close enough he could see how red his cheeks were.

"Come on that's not fair. You know I'd love to be there with you. I'd probably cuddle you if you were that tired though. As it is I'm ending the call so you can get your beauty sleep."

"You're the one that needs beauty rest Bubs, after all how would you keep such a cute face without it?"

"Oh honestly you're not even making sense. Go to sleep Marshall." He chuckled and stretched before nodding in agreement.

"Fine, fine. I'll go to bed then. Good night prince science butt, sleep well." Marshall paused in his stretching and his speaking as he dropped his arms and looked at the camera. "I-I love you." Somehow, saying that over webcam had become incredibly difficult for him. It had been semi-easy in person, especially the last night they were together, admitting it to his laptop camera just felt so wrong though. 

"Goodnight Marshall. I love you too, have sweet dreams." Bubba cooed back at him and he could tell he was mocking his hesitation.

"Ew that's too sappy."

"Says the man who has trouble saying "I love you" on a webcam." Bubba snorted in amusement.

"H-Hey thats not fair, I'm half asleep and it feels weird not saying it to your face. I love you. There I said it again now good night!" With a huff and a small smile he ended the call and shut his laptop. Gods but Bubba made him happy. To happy, Fionna was right he was a lost cause.

The problem of the eminent closing of the cafe still loomed over his head as he prepared for bed but it wasn't an immediate threat. At least not something he was going to lose sleep that night over. He was definitely going to have sweet dreams. Sweet dreams about pink-haired princes that liked science.

As he fell asleep, Bubba's idea popped back into his mind and as he thought more and more about it he started having ideas about the space. Ideas about what Le Cafe Rouge could be. They wouldn't leave him alone and through the night ideas became dreams that imprinted themselves on the underside of his eyelids.

When Marshall Lee awoke the next morning, he knew that he was going to buy Le Cafe Rouge. He had an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again....don't want this to end but alas one more chapter. -clings to story- <3 ; A;


	24. Welcome Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh wow... final chapter of this story you guys. I've spent more time editing and reading over and re-writing sections of this chapter probably more than any other chapter. It was painful to write this knowing it was the last one...
> 
> Who knows maybe i'll cave in and write an epilogue full of nothing but smut and cuteness. Anyhow it's long and hopefully i didn't miss any mistakes or typos. Please enjoy this and i can't thank you enough for reading and all of the comments I received as well as reviews and encouragement. <3 It means a lot since this was my first story on AO3.
> 
> <3 Enjoy

Marshall ran the cloth around the inside of the crystal glass with the practiced ease of someone who had been doing it for years. Maybe not years as in twenty but definitely three or four. The motion was easy now and he didn't even have to think about it as he set the now clean and dry glass down on the towel behind the polished counter.

The counter had at one point, during the early part of the night, been clean and spot-free but after suffering through several unique individuals it was a little less than clean. Marshall quickly ran a warm rag over the surface to once again make it shine like it was new. Business was finally slowing down for the night now that it was nearing two in the morning. There were about thirty minutes left in the night, about time to give the Last Call before they would start cleaning up and ushering patrons out of the bar.

What had previously been Le Cafe Rouge was now a well known jazz bar on the street corner. Marshall, after having been gripped by ambition had decided to buy the Cafe himself. He had debated asking for Bubba's help but a part of him decided against it. Somehow he felt that this was something he needed to do on his own and so he did. One well researched and thought-out business loan later he signed off on the papers and the space was his. Of course this had been weeks in advance of the closing time of the Cafe itself, so he continued to work there for the few remaining weeks as he researched and prepped everything that he needed.

Fionna had been on board immediately and they both promptly signed up for a semester-long course in mixology at the local college. That had been a fucking adventure. Even before the course all of the planning he'd had to do was immense. Marshall had never run a business before, it had never even occurred to him really, but something about the space and the memories he had there. It was too much to give up.

Luckily the previous owner was willing to help, even if he hadn't been the best at paying the bills on time, he helped Marshall get into contact with some affordable but trustworthy construction agents and gave him a few numbers to call about organizing a bar and getting it certified by the government. Having ambition was one part, actually going through with it was an entirely new beast and Marshall had quickly learned that.

It was impossible the count the late nights he had been up doing mountains of paper work just to get the space cleared for use as a bar, changing the layout, calling other bar owners and getting tips about the business; It was an organized mess that left him passed out and exhausted on his desk at three in the morning repeatedly.

At least all of the planning had kept him busy, it distracted him from the large gap that had been left in his life due to the absence of his little sister and the man he cared about. It was a huge gap and sometimes it would get to him. Marshall would find himself staring at the pink sweatshirt in his hands as he fought off an intense wave of emotion that seemed to grip his heart and refuse to let go. All it took was a quick Skype message from a certain pink-haired dork to fix that and make him smile.

Sadly it wasn't only Marshall that had become increasingly busy. Bubba was pursuing his PHD and was incredibly involved in his studies at the moment. It was true that he hadn't yet received his bachelors degree but he was well on his way and he wanted to get it done in three years rather than four. With a goal like that he was naturally incredibly busy and it didn't help that he was already looking for possible graduate schools to attend and from what Marshall had heard, that process was murder.

Due to the circumstances their communication became more scarce and while Marshall and Fionna explored the art of Martini's and mixed drinks, they worried that their relationship was slipping into nothing. There had been a rough patch and rather than bickering they had actually gotten in several serious fights over skype. It seemed silly but the accumulation of stress and separation had nearly broken them. Nearly, but not completely and they had recovered and reached a new level of comfort in their relationship.

Marshall could go weeks without having a skype call with Bubba and still be reassured that he loved him and that in turn Bubba loved him. They didn't need to talk every day to know that they loved and cared about each other. It was a nice bonus for sure and their time spent talking made up some of Marshall's favorite memories truthfully but it wasn't a need. Things were working out. 

Three short months after the turn over of ownership the bar was opened. Marshall hired Fionna as his first bartender of course and he also managed to hire a young man to run the kitchens and clean tables and floors. His name was Frank or something but Fionna had immediately dubbed him to be Flame Prince after she saw him in the kitchens cooking with a lot of flame at once. Marshall had of course told him to tone down the fire quite a bit but the nickname FP stuck with them and so that was what they now called him. 

The help was great and after having it rather rough in the beginning the place took off in popularity. That could have to do with the quirky name he had given the place and the press it was given.

After surviving a life-time of vampire jokes related to his appearance he had decided to name it "The Blood Bank" out of sheer irony. Fionna had suggested that they keep a list of quirky and spooky drinks on the menu all year as a part of the theme and it had worked. The name had at first scared a few people away but then it actually grew in infamy. People of all sorts came for the strange drink menu, including but not limited to Bloody-Mary's, vampire, werewolf and ghost themed drinks. They were the most popular but the regular menu was quite normal and just as attractive to those less adventurous late-night drinkers.

The place itself was classy, most everything was a dark cherry wood with complimentary black and red cushions and decorations. Most of the curtains from Le Cafe Rouge had actually been saved and re-used in the decor. The bar itself had a dark black marble counter with dark painted wood for alcohol shelving, lit from behind by dimmed red neon lights.

It gave off a unique vibe, modern but a touch of a darker theme. In Marshall's head it was perfect but of course Fionna just had to comment on the fact that it looked like his wardrobe, just to annoy him. His entire wardrobe was not black and red, he totally owned at least one blue and black checkered shirt and a pink sweatshirt. Although that was technically not his own.

Marshall grabbed another recently washed glass and started to dry it with his towel as he reminisced about the beginning of his bar and the years that had passed. It was the end of the summer just about three years since the incident with the kidnapping. It felt like longer with the work he'd put into the cafe and the speed at which life had been moving recently.

He carefully set the now clean glass next to the other one and set the towel down on the prep counter. Subconsciously Marshall ran his hand down the front of his dark black vest and made yet another pass to ensure that his tie was straightened. He'd gotten accustomed the wearing the fancier clothes require of higher class bars, that sure as hell didn't mean that he wore his tie all the way up to his neck. Marshall preferred a slightly more relaxed look and it worked. The women that came into the bar were very fond of ordering drinks from him when he was working the counter. 

Fionna had her own customers to fend off as well and if it wasn't for the nasty looks some patrons received from FP Marshall wondered what they would really behave like.

Marhsall chuckled as he collected an empty glass from a leaving customer and reflected upon the first time they had to throw someone out of the bar for being too intoxicated. He had been hitting on Fionna repeatedly and soon enough it had escalated to him touching her arms and wrists. At that point Marshall had been about the get involved when Fionna asked the man to leave politely. He refused and from there all he remembered was the incredible teamwork FP and Fionna used to simply toss the guy out the front doors of the bar. He'd been impressed to say the least and from then on those two had been practically inseparable. 

It got to him sometimes, when they would walk home hand in hand and he would walk home alone after closing up by himself... Sometimes he watched them and wondered what it would be like to do the same with his dork of a boyfriend.

With a sigh Marshall shook his head and loaded the dish washer. No point thinking about it, besides it was time for the last call on drinks so that they could get the hell out of here sooner rather than later. 

He walked over to where Fionna was pouring a drink and nudged her lightly in the side.

"Time for the Last call. We only have twenty minutes until closing time." He watched as she finished properly mixing a drink and slid it over to customer.

"Actually can you do that tonight? I have to go make a quick phone call." She looked pleadingly at him and he rolled his eyes. She never asked for favors like this, so he had no problem allowing her the opportunity.

"Fine fine, but if I catch you chatting it up out there for more than a short minute I'm going to make you mop this entire place by yourself tomorrow morning." He grinned widely at her expression and stuck his tongue out. "Hey I'm still your boss." She groaned.

"Yeah, remind me again why i agreed to work for a loser like you?" Marshall placed a hand on his chest and gasped dramatically.

"I am not a loser! How cruel are you."

"Uh huh sure, making me mop by myself is being a loser." She smirked back at him and wiped her drink mixing surface quickly before folding the towel and slipping off her waist apron. 

"I said only if you talk on the phone for forever. I think thats being pretty fair. Besides you work for me because you love me." He smirked and crossed his arms over his chest challengingly. Fionna was amused, he could tell by the placement of her hands on her hips and her coy smile. She really was his best friend, he had no idea what he'd have done without her.

"Yeah yeah, I love you you big gay weirdo." With that she grabbed her cell phone and headed towards the back staff room. Marshall found himself smiling as he turned and went to grab the bell. It was the bars signal for the last call of drinks and he shook it with vigor.

"Last call for drinks. If you're not ordering any more then now would be your time to head out!" He set it down as most of the patrons checked their watches and headed out. A few came for one more shot of scotch and one particularly flirtatious lady asked for another Rude Cosmopolitan. It was obvious that she'd already had a few drinks, so he lessened the amount of alcohol in the drink and slid it to her.

"Don't drink too much now." He said with a polite smile.

"As long as you keep mixing them I'll drink from you all night honey.' Her words were slightly slurred and Marshall bit his lip to keep from laughing out loud.

"That would be nice, except we close in fifteen minutes ma'am. Enjoy your last drink." With those words he flashed her a smile and turned around to start capping all of the bottles and make sure each of the work stations was clean and prepped for the next day.

Fionna came back not long after and joined him in cleaning up the stations. He assured her that he could do it on his own, so instead she set about collecting glasses and wiping down the tables. FP had already cleaned up the kitchens and swept the floor meticulously. They were quite the team the three of them, eventually Marshall knew he was going to have to hire more staff. It had been getting busy lately and sometimes they couldn't keep up with drinks. Especially on Friday nights when they had music guests preform live in the house. Those were by far the busiest nights and due to that Marshall hadn't been able to play live in months on their bar stage.

Ten minutes passed faster than he expected and the bar became silently empty. He'd had to practically usher the flirtatious woman out of the bar but luckily her friends were there to help her into a taxi. Just in case, he watched them all pile into the same taxi until it drove away. Fionna often called him a worry-wart but as a business owner he had to make sure everyone at least made it safely out of the establishment. At least that's what he told himself.

One part of the job that was a total drag was the amount of people pleasing he had to do. Someone had once told him that there were certain places where people felt that it was safe to confess about their lives. One was a church confessional, another a hair salon and the last place was the bar and over the years he realized why. People just felt safe confessing everything to their bartender for some unknown reason, it was a stranger that had no choice but to listen as they fixed you a drink. Over the past few years he had heard a lot of stories, some he wished he hadn't heard at all and others he wished he could forget.

A lot of the stories had to do with love troubles, some with family issues, still others were happy celebratory stories. Rare stories here and there would leave him and Fionna staring at the patron in horror and confusion. Often at the end of their shift they would trade some of the best stories they'd heard throughout the shift. Most of the stories were painful and that was a lot to carry on their shoulders so venting it helped. That and complaining loudly once the bar was closed.

Eventually he'd learned how to listen without taking it in. It was impossible to fix some of these people, he could offer advice when asked but it was best to understand that most of the people that were there had come to have a good time or to forget and move on. The more he listened and heard, the easier it was to take in the good and not bring the bad back with him to his apartment. Early on the love stories had gotten to him, but now he was able to distance himself and ignore them. Other than that, he loved his job.

Except the taxes.

Marshall shuddered at the thought of the taxes he would have to do at the end of the month and he groaned out loud. He'd forgotten about that this week, he needed to go through the bills and documents tomorrow some time and catch up with the books. If he didn't stay on top of them then things became really difficult and horrible really quickly.

"What are you groaning for? its the end of the shift." Fionna whacked him lightly with a towel before she tossed it onto the pile of dirty towels that were to be washed that night. 

"Just thinking about the stack of paperwork I have waiting on my desk at home!" He said with a sarcastic lilt to his voice and a fake grin. She snorted in amusement and grabbed the trash.

"Do you have to do it tonight?" She pulled the trash out and tied it off before going to collect another one. The sound of glass bottles hitting each other resonated slightly in the room as she tied that one off as well.

"If I don't do it tonight I'll just have to do it tomorrow you know." He drew a hand over his face. The paper work never ended.

"Hm. Well hopefully you'll have something to cheer you up tonight." He gave her a puzzled look at that and shook his head. She probably meant a conversation with Bubba or something of that nature.

"No, he's been really busy with school and packing for some trip he's taking to look at a graduate college he got into. Jerk won't tell me where he's going yet either." Fionna snickered and grabbed the bags in one hand.

"Maybe he wants it to be a surprise?"

"Either way it's annoying. Hey, flip the sign and lock up on your way back in okay? That way i don't have to worry about the door on my way out." He grabbed the keys to the front off of their respective hook and tossed them to Fionna. She caught them easily with the arm that had once been injured by a crazy woman with a knife and an affinity for pink-haired boys. So much had changed.

Marshall watched her go before he resumed working on the re-organization of the bottles around the counter. He turned away from the door, positive that Fionna could take the trash out by herself. While he waited for her return he set about making sure all of the bottles were properly filled for the next day and everything was stocked appropriately. If it wasn't stocked properly they could run into trouble later on during the night and usually they didn't have time to re-fill bottles in the middle of the night. It was a large waste of time and therefore money, even if it was a pain to do at two in the morning.

The door chimed and someone cleared their throat, it wasn't Fionna. Whoever it was their voice was much deeper than hers and Marshall paused and sighed, why did people always expect bars to be open later than 2am here?

"I'm sorry but we're closed for the night, in case you couldn't read the sign. We open at six tomorrow night." He resumed re-stocking the bottles properly. Unless they wanted the wrong alcohol in each bottle then he needed to actually focus on his task. Not some stranger who couldn't be bothered to read signs. Idiot.

"Oh, thats a bummer I was hoping to order something. I hear your drinks are pretty famous." Marshall nearly dropped the bottle he was holding and had to grab it with his other hand. Just to be safe he set it back on the counter and took a deep breath. That voice was going to be the death of him one day. The smooth tone and confidence with which he spoke made his arms break out into goosebumps.

"Oh r-really? What have you heard?" He bit his lip and tried to hide his smile. How many times had he heard that voice before? Countless. He'd heard it countless times.

"Well...I've heard about some of the interesting themed drinks you have. I've also heard rumors about this really cute bartender that works here." Marshall absently corked the bottle he had been pouring from and stood up straighter as he reached up to set it back onto the shelf where it belonged. He may have flexed his back muscles just little more tan necessary with that action.

"Ah you must mean Fionna. She is pretty cute, although we don't encourage our patrons to hit on the staff you know. Plus as far as I know she's fairly involved with one of our other staff members." He did his best not to snicker.

"I see." Marshall had to grip the counter when he heard him laugh softly. He could tell just from his voice that he was right at the counter now, probably leaning against it. Oh who was he kidding he would never lean against the counter, he was probably standing as straight as he could with his hands folded on top of it like a pompous prince would. "What about the other bartender that works here? I'm pretty sure i heard he has dark hair and beautiful eyes."

He chewed on his bottom lip and played with the bottle on the counter. Damn he was smooth.

"Tough luck buddy. He's really involved with someone that doesn't live here. From what I've heard it's a very serious relationship and his boyfriend is pretty scary. You know, the over-protective kind that would kick your ass if he found out you were hitting on his man." A chuckle fell from his lips as he waited to hear the response.

"Scary?" He sounded bewildered just from his tone. "Oh for Pete's sake." there was a soft groan of impatience and Marshall had to bite his tongue. "That bartender must be very lucky then." He cleared his throat loudly and then spoke in a quieter tone. "I'll bet this bartender has a huge attitude though."

Marshall snorted and slowly turned around on his heel, hands on his hips.

"I do not have an attitude." Despite his words he wasn't prepared for the sight that met him. Bubba was standing on the other side of the counter in a buttoned up tan jacket with a pink scarf wrapped around his neck. As per usual his hair was a shade of bubblegum and neatly styled up on his head. Marshall was blown away by everything. As per usual, Bubba was breathtaking and he was leaning slightly against the counter.

"Sure you don't." Bubba grinned and Marshall felt all of his insides turn to butterflies. He had to look away as he fiddled with the bottom of his vest. It didn't help that he could feel Bubba looking him up and down from where he was standing.

"You know, it's different seeing it all up close. Your web cam doesn't do this place justice."

"Really? I thought it was fine, I mean I did recently just buy a new laptop."

"But you showed it to me on the old laptop remember?"

"Oh right." Marshall mentally kicked himself for failing at finding words right at that moment. He was surprised and confused but before he could stop himself he was smiling and leaning against the counter on the other side, staring back into violet eyes that made him want to smile forever. Words continued to evade him.

"It's doesn't do you justice either. You look good in a suit." Marshall was dying inside. This casual conversation was killing him and he glanced down as he leaned forward a bit more and narrowed his eyes playfully.

"Really? I thought the tie might be too much on me." He watched as Bubba looked down at the tie and back up to his eyes. 

"It is very like you to not wear it all the way up."

"And it's very like you to wear your ties tight enough to strangle you." Marshall rolled his eyes and looked to the side. He was actually feeling a bit awkward. How long had it been, three years? Three years since he'd watched him walk away at the airport with his family. He was actually fighting off a wave of emotions as he cleared his throat and looked down at the smooth counter.

"Marshall?"

"What?" He played it cool, but inside he wasn't sure how he was supposed to be feeling. Happy, he assumed, was the best response. Yet, everything was tinged with the bittersweet memories of their last day together. Somehow he'd held onto those feelings of three years and they were choking up his throat.

"Just come here..."

He was forced to look up when Bubba reached forward to gently cup his cheek and pulled him forward to lean further over the counter. The awkwardness he felt evaporated once Bubba's lips pressed softly over his bottom one and once again he was back in his room with Bubba the night before he left. There was no stopping it after that and Marshall reached forward to grip the sides of Bubba's neck as he pulled him closer into the kiss.

His lips were slightly chilled from the Canadian air, but his tongue was hot and familiar and the practiced motion of their lips as they moved together was like pure bliss. He couldn't bring himself to pull away from the kiss as he leaned more into it, more, more, he needed to taste him more. He needed to know he was there again. God but it was nearly impossible to believe it.

In the back of his mind Fionna's earlier words suddenly made sense and all of the hints Bubba had been dropping about packing for a vacation came to fruition and he was here. He was really here! Marshall could have danced in the freezing cold barefoot he was so happy.

Bubba pulled away slowly from the kiss, letting their lips linger together as they exhaled into the fraction of space in-between their mouths. Marshall could feel the moisture in their breaths mingle and he wasted no time in pressing his forehead against Bubba's and continuing to hold him close. His eyes stung slightly but he ignored it and sniffled stubbornly.

"I m-missed you..." He swallowed and forced back the silly emotional wave. This was no time for crying.

"Are you crying?"

"No I'm not you nerd." Bubba laughed breathlessly and Marshall could feel him smile because their mouths were still so close together. God damn but it made him smile too.

"I missed you too Marshall."

Marshall slid his fingers from the jacket he had been fisting tightly in his hands to what looked like Bubba's dismay. He loved throwing him off. Which is exactly what he did as he hopped up onto the recently cleaned counter without a care in the world and swung his legs around as gracefully as he could. Ignoring his emotions was easier when he was in motion.

Once his legs were over the side he maneuvered them onto either side of Bubba and grabbed that adorably dorky scarf his boyfriend was wearing and yanked him forward again.

"Wasn't expecting that." Bubba mumbled as he evaluated their new situation and ran with it. The scarf tugging obviously bugged him a bit but Marshall didn't care and really Bubba didn't look like he did either.

"What can I say, I like keeping you on your toes." His lips curled up into another involuntary smile as he leaned forward to capture pink lips in his own. Marshall hooked his arms around his boyfriends neck to keep him in close as he drew him in with each languid kiss. Maybe a few years ago Bubba would have complained about how public their setting was. To which Marshall would have argued that it was a closed bar at 2 in the morning. He honestly doubted that either one of them even remotely cared anymore.

Three years since he'd tasted this fruity taste that was unique to Bubba's lips. Obviously he still used some kind of sweet berry flavored chapstick and he loved it, more than anything. Marshall loved it enough to flick his tongue over just his top lip to taste it.

It was easily taken as an invitation and soon enough his own tongue was licked within the confines of Bubba's mouth. He didn't even care who was leading their kissing anymore.

The fact that Bubba was here, holding him close and sliding his hands slowly up and down his thighs was enough to make him feel like his chest was constricting around his heart. 

His breath shuddered every damn time that Bubba's thumbs dipped slightly towards his inner thighs with their movements and his response was to slide his long guitar practiced fingers into those thick pink locks and tug. The noise he elicited was well worth the action and he scratched his nails on his other hand slowly down the back of Bubba's neck. In response his thighs were squeezed and Marshall felt himself being yanked closer towards the edge of the counter. His ankles hooked around the thin waist in front of him as the distance between their bodies was minimized.

It was overwhelming and Marshall was forced to pull away. Bubba's hand found its way up his neck and onto his cheek as he rubbed his nose gently up against Marshall's. He liked that, he liked it a lot of things that were happening as his thoughts like oil mixed with water tried to pull themselves back together.

"Wow..."

What a dumb thing to whisper and Bubba's breathy laughter only solidified how dumb it was that he'd said that. Might as well dig himself a bigger hole right?

"Three years.... I forgot how good it feels to kiss you." He mumbled it and allowed his hand to stroked gently through the softest pink hair he'd ever had the pleasure of feeling up.

"At least you didn't forget how to kiss." Marshall scoffed and pulled away to put some distance between their faces so he didn't have to go cross-eyed to stare at Bubba.

"How would I ever forget that? Years of practice has refined my skills you know." Bubba rolled his eyes, the motion was coupled with a sigh.

"Oh goody. Way to rub in your sexual history during our reunion." Marshall grimaced slightly because he was actually right.

"Sorry. If its any consolation..." He slid his hand deeper into that beautiful hair and tugged to minimize their distance again and breathed the words right against his lips. "I like kissing you the most." Yeah he was a total sap.

Bubba only smiled and leaned forward to leave a teasing brush of a kiss against his lips. Teeth secured themselves against Marshall's bottom lip and he wanted moan right then and there when Bubba had the audacity to tug on and play with his bottom lip. It was slow and teasing and rather than closing their eyes, they shared teasing glances.

Heated make outs were different from this. This sweet, lip tugging, brushing and general playfulness was on a whole different level. It was cute. It was doing dangerous things to Marshall's pulse and making him giddy. Nibbling on each others lips had never before been so erotic and romantic at the same time.

"Are they ever going to stop."

Marshall paused and opened one eye as he released Bubba's bottom lip and caught the eyes of the bar's kitchen man. He could feel the heat radiating from Bubba's cheeks. It was probably due to the looks Fionna and FP were giving them.

Fionna just looked smug and happy and FP looked bored, but there was a hint of something else in his expression. Desire? Possibly, but it definitely wasn't for either him or the man in-between his legs. That didn't mean that he wasn't getting ideas about later though. What a sneaky little bastard, Marshall would bet ten shots that he was getting some later tonight. Or at least trying.

"Sh! Look what you did! You ruined the mood!" Fionna threw her arms up as Marshall slowly let his own slide away from the confines of pink hair and a beautiful neck. Bubba was just as reluctant to pull away but the placement of his hands on Marshall's thighs was anything but appropriate.

"Fionna, I said at least ten minutes." Bubba actually whined and Marshall had to look between the two of them several times as he pieced it together.

"You planned this didn't you?" He narrowed his eyes at his best friend and then the man standing in between his legs. Their identical sheepish grins gave them away. At least FP looked as surprised and uninterested as ever.

"We might have called each other and arranged a good time for me to conveniently show up." Bubba was also watching Fionna as his hand lightly squeezed one of the thighs in his grasp. Marshall was not complaining, but he was a bit peeved about not being told.

"Oh don't even give me that look Marshall." Fionna had her hands on her hips which meant he was probably in for a lecture. He couldn't help his pouty face, how could he not pout when they'd been keeping secrets like this from him. "You were surprised weren't you?"

"You should have seen his face. He almost dropped the bottle he had been holding." His glare was aimed at the man standing behind Fionna when he spoke up. He had not almost dropped anything thank you, Marshall liked to think that he was professional enough to not drop expensive bottles.

"Oh I'm so bummed I missed it!" Fionna complained loudly and heaved a sigh. Marshall didn't really care, his head was still spinning from the earlier kissing session and he missed it already. Stealthily his hands slid up the front of Bubba''s jacket and pulled him closer once more.

"He was very cute" Marshall turned his gaze back to Bubba and licked his lips slowly and dangerously. With a circular motion he wound his hands into the pink scarf and tugged sharply to bring them nose to nose. "He's always cute."

"I would prefer the adjective sexy or attractive, cute makes me sound like a grade school girl." His lips curled upwards with his smile as Bubba huffed against his lips. His body language was predatory as he loomed over Bubba from his sitting position and held him in close. Bubba was not backing up though.

"Hmn...Nah I like cute better."

"You ass."

"I think you meant to say 'You have such a nice ass' Marshall." The bar owner rolled his eyes and re-adjusted his grip on the scarf haphazardly before he smashed their lips together and growled against them when he wasn't applying firm pressure.

"Shut up!

Kiss.

"Nice or not-" 

Kiss.

"Your ass-"

Kiss kiss.

"Is mine!" He sealed their mouths together, catching Bubba's bottom lip between his teeth and tugging on it. He let it go only to lick upwards over his top lip teasingly. There was no room for argument from the pink-haired man and Marshall was clearly doing hid best to ignore Fionna and FP.

"Wow....Yeah as cute as this Reunion is I'd like to go home now boss." Fionna twirled her keys around her finger, he could tell because of the sound it made whenever the keys hit against the edge of her palm. As if sensing that a conversation needed to take place Bubba moved from his lips to Marshall's jaw and left a trail of open-mouthes kisses down towards his neck.

With a scowl as his fingers threaded through the pink hair near his face he pointed lazily at the door. Now she was just doing this on purpose to be an ass.

"You're done already, go the hell home. Don't be late for work tomorrow either of you! We still have a lot of cleaning to do before opening houu-rAAhhh! Bubba!" A certain science minded man had decided to bite into his neck and Marshall could do little to stop his noises of appreciation at the contact. Needless to say the door closed quickly with a small chime after the hasty exit of his best friend and her boyfriend.

"Did you have to do that while i was speaking?" A gentle tug to the hair he was holding was enough to get Bubba to detach himself from his neck for at least a little bit. 

"They left didn't they? I thought that was what you wanted?" Marshall rolled his eyes and leaned forward for another kiss.

"Yeah yeah whatever. My hero, saving me from my own employees." Bubba smiled and leaned his hands on either side of Marshall's body as he looked at him curiously. 

"Your employees were enjoying watching us kiss more than I thought they would." Marshall hummed in agreement and leaned forward. He left an open-mouth kiss on Bubba's jaw, his lips brushed constantly over pink-tinted skin that he so adored. Without looking his hand slid forward to find its match and there was nothing more comforting that the feeling of his hand being squeezed lightly in Bubba's slightly wider hand.

As much as he enjoyed the feeling of his bottom lip being cradled gently between the lips of the most beautiful man he'd ever met, his thoughts were nagging at him. How long could he stay? Why was he here? Where was he staying? Thoughts like those forced him to pull away with a soft sound. Their hands remained laced together as he eyed Bubba cautiously and spoke.

"What are you really doing here?" Marshall was worried about the response but Bubba's relaxed grin told a different story.

"Graduate school. I told you I was looking at universities didn't I?" Graduate school? Then is this just one of his many stops? Marshall pulled away a fraction more and narrowed his eyes at him.

"So... what? You're here for a week maybe two tops? Which school are you looking at? Might as well just say goodbye now and get it out of the way." he huffed stubbornly and slid his hand out of their shared grasp. To his slight annoyance Bubba gripped his fingers tighter and followed his hand to keep them together. He refused to meet those violet eyes, despite his harsh words Marshall didn't want to think about goodbyes. Everything seemed too good to be true and a part of him was refusing to believe it.

"Honestly. Marshall let me explain." Silence broke their conversation and eventually he was forced to tilt his gaze upwards back towards Bubba before he would continue speaking. "I've been looking for graduate schools for more time than I would have liked. I was recently accepted to the University of Toronto, this trip isn't to scope out any schools. It isn't a visit. I brought two suit cases and the rest is being shipped out here tomorrow to your apartment." Bubba paused and his smile fell slightly. "Th-that is of course if you want me to live with you still...I would understand if you felt uncomfortable or-" he continued on but Marshall was no longer listening.

He was moving to Toronto? They were going to live together and Bubba was here not just for now but to stay for good. 

Bubba had made him feel so many different things ever since Marshall had met him. Annoyance was probably one of the main emotions he had felt, but also entertainment and he made him feel valuable. For his entire life Marshall's cord that tied him to reality had been taking care of his little sister. The responsibility he felt towards her and his need to take care of her had kept him busy, it had helped him be happy. Meeting Bubba had made him realize that he wasn't just the care-taker of his sister, he'd helped him to come to terms with letting her go as well. Somewhere along the line, Bubba's ambition and excitement for the future had infected Marshall himself. It had changed him. Now he owned his own bar, a successful bar at that. Singlehandedly this man, standing and babbling away in-between his legs had inspired him to attempt to make something bigger and better out of his life. 

Without warning hot tears welled up and flowed down his cheeks as his mouth stretched into a wide grin. True happiness flooded him and flowed down his cheeks as Marshall caught Bubba off-guard and yanked him into a hug.

"M-marshall?" He sounded alarmed but Marshall couldn't answer him as his breath hitched and he rubbed his face into Bubba's shoulder repeatedly. He had never been this happy in his entire life. He owned his own bar, it was a beautiful sight and he was proud of it and to top it all off Bubba was staying here... They were going to live together and he would get to be there when he woke up, when he went to bed every moment of every day they would be close enough to call each other and make plans. His happiness was immeasurable.

"P-promise you're staying?" He managed those words around his choked off sobs and frequent sniffles. Hands found their way into his hair and up and down his back to comfort him.

"I'm staying Marshall. I have a visa and everything. I'm here as long as you want me here. I'm not going anywhere." The murmured words did little more than make the flood gates open up on Marshall Lee's dam of emotions. His body shook with mostly silent sobs as they held close to each other.

"I l-love you... s-so much." Bubba kissed the top of his head and that was enough of an answer for Marshall.

it took awhile for him to calm down and for once Bubba didn't comment upon it. Neither one of them did as Marshall went to grab his coat and make sure everything in the bar was locked up for the night. He shooed Bubba out of the Bar and turned to check the locks on the door. As he turned, he openly stared at the man illuminated by the street lamp just outside the bar. Fat but light fluffy snow flakes fell from the sky. The ground was already getting covered in the stuff and Marshall knew the snow plows would be out in only a few hours. 

It was the first snow fall of the season and it was falling gracefully around them, enveloping them in a softened silence. When Bubba turned to him and held out his hand Marshall knew what people meant when they described true love. It wasn't love at first sight and it definitely wasn't anything near perfect. 

True love was hearing Bubba say;

"Ready to go home?"

And knowing that he would never tire of hearing those words. He knew that he wanted to hear those words for the rest of his life and he wanted to hear them from Bubba. There was no hesitation in him as he grabbed the offered hand and felt their fingers fold seamlessly together.

The soft silence of the snow made Marshall's heart beat more prominent in his ears as he stepped shoulder to shoulder with Bubba and nodded.

"Yeah, let's go home."

Let's go home together. Let's walk home together today and the day after that. Let's walk home together until we decide its out time to go. Lets go home together until the end of eternity.

Let's go to our home. Together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah so it's over. ; U; Comment and let me know if you'd like an Epilogue of smut or if we should just let it be. 
> 
> I have a lot of other story ideas, sadly not Gumlee, that ill start writing now. I want to write more for this pairing in the future though for sure because i love these idiots so much.
> 
> Thank you for reading. Have a good day.


	25. Series Update (Authors Notes)

Hey so I never really thought that this little story would take off like it did and I know for years now everyone has been asking for more, even just a little bit. Well I am here to let you know that I have now made this into a series of sorts and I plan to add little epilogue chapters to the Life In Rough story and I hope that you all can read and enjoy them. Who knows maybe I'll be hit with inspiration one day and write a whole second part. 

I'm sure a lot of you have moved on from the fandom entirely and will probably be incredibly confused as to why this long forgotten story suddenly updated. Whether you decide to keep reading the snippets or not I really wanted to thank everyone who supported and liked this story as it was my first ever fully completed fan fiction. Every comment I got was really encouraging and awesome and I appreciate all of you. 

I hope you enjoy the extra stories and have a wonderful day [Life in Rouge ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10677066)

\- Sammie


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